Fifty-eight-year-old laxmikant Parsekar was on Saturday sworn in as the 11th Chief Minister of Goa.Ending days of speculation and lobbying among three contenders for the CM’s chair, Parsekar was elected leader of the BJP legislature Party “unanimously”.
Former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar proposed the name of Parsekar and it was seconded by Deputy Chief Minister Francis D’Souza, who was also a contender for the post. Parsekar is a legislator from the coastal constituency of Mandrem.Parsekar, along with Manohar Parrikar, Speaker Rajendra Arlekar and Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Shripad Naik, took the party from scratch, when the BJP won just two seats in the Goa Assembly in the 1996, to an absolute majority it commands today.
Parsekar, who has done his Masters in Science and B.Ed has been the State president of the party for two terms and was first elected as MlA from Mandrem in June 2002. He also runs a school in his hometown.In March 2012, he won the constituency for the third consecutive term beating his nearest rival by 3,435 votes.
Parsekar, who found the backing of party’s State organising secretary Satish Dhond and was also close to Parrikar, is known to be a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pointsman in Goa.