Ahead of Goa cabinet expansion, Sanguem Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Subhash Phal Dessai on Saturday resigned from the post of Deputy Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly.

“Sir, I, Shri Subhash Phal Dessai, Deputy Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly, hereby tender my resignation as Deputy Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly with immediate effect,” she said in a resignation letter.

Dessai is likely to take oath as Cabinet Minister later in the day.

Pramod Sawant’s cabinet expansion comes days after the Chief Minister himself took oath along with eight ministers on March 28 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states.

Three MLAs will take oath as Cabinet Ministers at a swearing-in ceremony as part of the state cabinet expansion of the Pramod Sawant-led government which will be held today at Raj Bhavan in Panaji.

Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai will administer an oath to all three ministers.

Sanguem MLA Subhash Phal Dessai and Tivim MLA Nilkanth Halarnkar, both from BJP, and MGP’s Marcaim MLA Ramkrishna Dhavalikar will take oath today.

In the 40-member assembly, BJP has 20 MLAs, three Independents and two from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) have supported Sawant, new three cabinet ministers.

With the induction of three new ministers, Sawant will have his full cabinet of 11 ministers. (ANI)