Panaji: From being an ayurveda practitioner to being the Goa chief minister, 46-year-old Pramod Sawant has come a long way. The two-time MLA from Sanquelim in North Goa, Sawant, who was Speaker of the state Assembly, is a dedicated RSS worker. The politician, recently seen in the RSS uniform at a Sangh event, was on Monday sworn in as the new chief minister of Goa following Manohar Parrikar's death.

His elevation to the top post in the coastal state followed hectic parleys between the BJP and its alliance partners. Sawant's political career began in the BJP as a youth leader. A staunch Parrikar supporter, he had worked closely with the late leader. He won the 2012 and 2017 Assembly elections from North Goa's Sankhalim constituency, which used to be a Congress stronghold.