Two ministers dropped from Parrikar cabinet in Goa

Panaji: Two ministers have been dropped from the Manohar Parrikar cabinet in Goa, the chief minister’s office (CMO) said Monday.

The BJP’s Francis D’Souza and Pandurang Madkaikar have been ailing for some time and are admitted at hospitals.The development comes at a time when Chief Minister Parrikar is undergoing treatment for a pancreatic ailment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

D’Souza, who was heading the urban development department, and Madkaikar, who was the power minister, have been dropped from the cabinet, according to an official in the CMO. D’Souza is currently admitted at a hospital in the USA, while Madkaikar, who had suffered a brain stroke in June, is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Mumbai.

Two BJP leaders — Nilesh Cabral and Milind Naik — will be sworn in as ministers Monday evening, the official said. Naik was the power minister in the previous Laxmikant Parsekar-led cabinet, while Cabral would be sworn in for the first time.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah had said Sunday that Parrikar would continue in his post and announced that a reshuffle of the state’s ministers would soon take place.