Panaji: Two and a half years ago, Manohar Parrikar was elected by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to modernize the Indian military and prepare it to be battle ready in the face of various political tensions.
Parrikar, who was then serving as a Chief Minister of Goa, was picked up to ensure that the Ministry of Defence gets the required political leadership that was somehow absent during the tenure of former Defense Minister AK Antony.
Now, almost 29 months later, Parrikar is all set to return to his hometown, thus leaving behind the defense ministry he took over in 2014 at the first-floor office of the Raksha Mantri in South Block in 2014.
Parrikar was seconded by RSS to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with the objective of fighting the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party. Ironically, it is the same MGP, that has lent it support to him this year to form the government in Goa.
Parrikar was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goa in 1994. By 1999, he became the leader of the opposition and in 2000, hee successfully contested the election to become the Chief Minister of Goa. However, his tenure lasted only until February 2002.
In the same year in June, Parrikar was re-elected to serve as the Chief Minister for the second time.
In 2007, BJP lost the election to the Congress, who was reviving at that time. But, the loss did not dissuade Parrikar as he scripted the BJP's comeback to the state once again in 2012.
PM Modi is known to have great faith in Parrikar. After all, it was the Goa chief minister who had been the first to endorse him as the prime ministerial candidate in 2013 and since then that trust was always been reciprocated.
On Tuesday, Parrikar was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Goa for fourth time. And needless to say that ahead of him lies a great challenge of leading a state where the government has been formed on a ragtag coalition.
