The governor's is largely a ceremonial post but has a crucial role when it comes to deciding who should form the next government or suspending the legislature as has happened in the recent past. After having stable governance for nearly thirty years up to 1990, Goa is now notorious for its political instability having seen fourteen governments in the span of the fifteen years between 1990 and 2005.[2] In March 2005, the assembly was dissolved by the governor and President's rule was declared, which suspended the legislature. A by-election in June 2005 saw the Congress coming back to power after winning three of the five seats that went to the polls. The Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are the two largest parties in the state. In the assembly pole of 2007, a Congress-led coalition won and started ruling the state.[3] Other parties include the United Goans Democratic Party, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.[4]
In the 2012 election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defeated the Indian National Congress government in Goa, led by CMDigambar Kamat. The election was won by the BJP-Maharashtrawadi Gomantak alliance which won 24 seats in the 40-seat assembly. The Bharatiya Janata Party won 21 seats, while the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party won 3 seats. Manohar Parrikar, leader of the BJP, was sworn in as Chief Minister of Goa on 9 March 2012. After Parrikar died from cancer in March 2019, he was succeeded by Pramod Sawant as the CM.
