Ramesh Tawadkar and Digambar Kamat Sworn In as Ministers in Goa Cabinet

BJP leaders Ramesh Tawadkar and Digambar Kamat took oath as ministers in the Goa Cabinet led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday, August 21, 2025.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at Raj Bhavan, where Governor Ashok Gajapathi Raju administered the oath of secrecy. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, BJP Goa unit president Damu Naik, and other leaders were present at the occasion.

Ramesh Tawadkar Resigns as Speaker Before Taking Oath

Hours before joining the Cabinet, Ramesh Tawadkar resigned from his position as Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly. The 57-year-old leader represents the Canacona constituency.

His political career began in 2005 when he won a bypoll from the Poinguinim seat in South Goa. Tawadkar was re-elected in 2007 and later contested from Canacona after delimitation, winning in 2012 and 2022, though he lost in 2017.

Between April 2012 and January 2017, he served as a Cabinet Minister, handling portfolios such as agriculture, animal husbandry and veterinary services, tribal welfare, and sports and youth affairs.

In March 2022, Tawadkar became the first tribal MLA to be elected as Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly.

Political Journey of Digambar Kamat

The second new minister, Digambar Kamat, has a long political history. The 71-year-old legislator from Margao previously served as the Chief Minister of Goa from 2007 to 2012.

Kamat began his political career with the Indian National Congress and represented the party between 1989–1994 and again from 2005–2022.

Kamat was first elected to the Assembly from Margao in 1994 and has represented the seat multiple times. In the 2022 elections, he won from Margao on a Congress ticket but joined the BJP in September that year along with seven other MLAs.

A Return to Ministerial Office for Kamat

For Digambar Kamat, this swearing-in marks a return to ministerial office after 13 years. He last held power in 2012 as Chief Minister before being succeeded by Manohar Parrikar.

Speaking after the ceremony, Kamat said, “I am happy that I will get strength to work for the common man in this state. I am returning to the cabinet after 13 years. I will get an opportunity to work even harder than before. God and the central leadership have given me this opportunity.”

Kamat had earlier served as a minister in the Parrikar Cabinet in 2000 but left the BJP to join Congress in 2005.

He went on to lead a Congress-led coalition government in 2007 and remained Chief Minister until 2012, becoming the only CM of Goa to complete a full five-year term.

Controversies in Kamat’s Political Career

Kamat’s career has also faced controversy. He was named in the Louis Berger bribery case and in an illegal mining case where the Justice M.B. Shah Commission estimated a loss of ₹35,000 crore to the state exchequer.

The BJP, while in opposition, pegged the figure at ₹25,000 crore in a complaint to the President of India. However, earlier this year, Kamat was discharged from the case.

Tawadkar’s Journey in Politics

Tawadkar has been an active face in Goa politics. He held important portfolios such as tribal welfare, sports, and youth affairs under Manohar Parrikar and later under Laxmikant Parsekar.

In 2017, after being denied a ticket by the BJP, he contested as an independent but lost. Returning to the BJP in 2022, he was re-elected and chosen as Speaker before resigning from the post this week to rejoin the Cabinet.

Reflecting on his role as Speaker, Tawadkar said, “From the day I have taken the responsibility (of the Speaker), since that day I have tried to do justice to the post. For the last three and a half years I can say, and not just me, but everyone I interacted with both within the Assembly and outside — my staff was like my family. I treated both the ruling and opposition MLAs as colleagues and I earned the respect from the opposition just as I earned it from the ruling side.”

Cabinet Reshuffle and Future Plans

With the induction of Tawadkar and Kamat, the Goa Cabinet has reached its full strength of 12 ministers. The reshuffle was long pending and involved multiple rounds of consultations between the state and central leadership.

Govind Gaude, the former minister for art, culture, sports affairs, and rural development, was dismissed earlier this year, paving the way for new entrants.

The BJP is expected to nominate Ganesh Gaonkar, the legislator from Sanvordem, for the post of Speaker. The opposition is yet to announce its candidate.