Who Is Jennifer Monserrate? MLA Dropped From Pramod Sawant's New Cabinet

On March 28, Pramod Sawant took oath as Goa’s Chief Minister for the second time and so did his new cabinet of ministers. The Sawant-led cabinet featured Rohan Khaunte, Ravi Naik, Subash Shirodkar and Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate. Sawant took oath as chief minister in 2019 after the death of former Defence Minister and Goa CM Manohar Parrikar in 2019 and formed a government with the support of three independent MLAs and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).

Monserrate, a BJP MLA from the Panaji constituency, has been a three-term member of the Goa Legislative Assembly. Monserrate was made a Minister of Town and Country Planning in the Manohar Parrikar-led government in the state. He is also the husband of politician Jennifer Monserrate, MLA from Taleigao Constituency of the assembly.

While Monserrate won from the Panaji constituency, Jennifer won from the Taleigao constituency. She was a minister in the previous cabinet led by Sawant. It is unclear whether she will be inducted into the new cabinet since eights names of MLAs have been announced thus far.

Who Is Jennifer Monserrate?

Monserrate is a second-term member of the Taleigao Constituency. She was Minister for Revenue, IT, Labour and Employment in the previous cabinet formed by Pramod Sawant. She had assumed the role of Minister of Revenue and IT in July 2019 succeeding Rohan Khaunte who presided over the Ministry.

Jennifer was the first woman MLA who was inducted into a cabinet in Goa’s legislative assembly and she was also the first woman who won from the assembly for two consecutive terms. She started her political career in 2007 as a candidate of the United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) from the St Cruz constituency but lost against Congress candidate Fernandes Victoria. In 2012, she exchanged constituency with her husband and contested from Taleigao in North Goa on a Congress ticket and won the election.

She was re-elected as an MLA from Taleigao in 2017 and in 2019 the couple—Jennifer and Babush—joined BJP. The MLA was also one of the committee members of the Goa State Commission for Women from March 2013 and served a full term of three years. The entire committee was scheduled to continue from 2016 as per then Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.

It is suggested that Jennifer has studied only until grade 12 and she declared that she runs her own business in her documents.

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