Shripad Naik, the leading light of BJP in Goa, joins Modi’s cabinet again

Five-time Member of Parliament from North Goa, Shripad Naik won by a margin of 80,000 votes.

Five-time Member of Parliament from North Goa, Shripad Naik, 66, defeated Goa state Congress president Girish Chodankar, a first-time candidate, by a margin of 80,000 votes. He had won by an even bigger margin of 100,000 votes in 2014. Naik served as union minister of state with independent charge for Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Sidda and Homeopathy (AYUSH) ministry, for much of the term of the previous Narendra Modi-led government. This time around too, he was sworn in as a minister of state. Naik, who was first elected as an MP in 1999.

Naik served as union minister of state with independent charge for Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Sidda and Homeopathy (AYUSH) ministry, for previous Narendra Modi-led government (Vipin Kumar/ HT Photo)