On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed birthday wishes to Pramod Sawant, the Goa Chief Minister, commending his role in driving development in the state.
Taking to X, PM Modi posted, "Birthday greetings to Goa Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant Ji. He is at the forefront of furthering Goa's development across diverse sectors. May he be blessed with a long and healthy life."
Born in 1973, Sawant pursued a Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from Ganga Education Society's Ayurvedic Medical College in Kolhapur and later completed a Master of Social Work (MSW) from Tilak Maharashtra University in Pune. He hails from the Maratha community.
Pramod Sawant began his political career with the Bharatiya Janata Party and first contested the Pale Assembly by-election in 2008, though he was unsuccessful. He later secured victory from the Sanquelim constituency in the 2012 Goa Assembly elections and retained the seat in 2017.
Sawant served as Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly in 2017 before leaders chose him to lead the state following the death of Manohar Parrikar. He took oath as the 13th Chief Minister of Goa in March 2019 and secured a second consecutive term in 2022.
Pramod Sawant married Sulakshana Sawant, a teacher and active member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. She currently heads the party's Mahila Morcha unit in Goa.