BJP MLA Sankalp Amonkar sworn in as Goa cabinet minister
The induction fills a vacancy in the 12-member Council of Ministers left by the death of former minister Ravi Naik.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Sankalp Amonkar took his oath as a cabinet minister in the Goa government led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday, November 7, 2026. Governor P. Ashok Gajapathy Raju administered the oath of office and secrecy at a ceremony in Lok Bhavan, Dona Paula, according to reports by The Hindu, Hindustan Times and Free Press Journal.
Amonkar becomes the 12th minister in the Sawant cabinet, filling the position that has been empty since the death of former agriculture minister Ravi Naik on October 15 last year. Naik passed away at the age of 79 following a cardiac arrest.
Amonkar, who was elected as an MLA from Mormugao on a Congress ticket in 2022, joined the BJP in September 2022 along with seven other Congress legislators. Before his induction, he served as the chairman of the Goa Sewage and Infrastructural Development Corporation.
Following the ceremony, Amonkar stated that he would do what he can for the people of Goa and noted that the government has shown it can complete work quickly. Chief Minister Sawant congratulated the new minister, expressing confidence that Amonkar's contribution would strengthen efforts toward the development of Goa.
The induction comes ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Amonkar's entry into the cabinet is expected to strengthen the BJP's presence in the Mormugao region.