Panaji: Congress has paved the way for a high-profile father versus son contest in Porim after clearing the candidature of Pratap Singh Rane for Goa assembly elections
A day later BJP MLA and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane He said that he would contest against his father and beat him by 10,000 votes, Congress got the ball rolling.
General Secretary and in-charge CEC Mukul Wasnik said in a brief statement on Wednesday, “The Central Election Committee (CEC) has approved the candidature of Pratap Singh Rane as Congress candidate for the upcoming General Election to the Goa Legislative Assembly from Porim constituency. ” , Rane has completed 50 years as an MLA and has been elected for 11 consecutive terms.
He is the longest-serving Chief Minister of Goa, having served five terms, the first of which was in 1980.
Rane, 83, has never lost an election from Porim—where he has won since 1989, the first election since Goa was granted statehood in 1987—but is now challenged by his son Vishwajit, another undefeated politician who Valpoi has tasted great success. neighboring constituency which he represents.
A source said that the senior Rane was initially unwilling to contest the fast-approaching elections. This is the reason why his name was not in the eight candidates announced by the Congress last week.
He may have changed his mind after Congress supporters urged him to contest, insisting that he would have to listen to his supporters’ requests.
In September, BJP’s Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis along with BJP state president Sadanand Shet Tanawade visited Pratap Singh at his residence. The senior Rane dismissed the visit as a courtesy call, but the former Maharashtra chief minister said his party has received the blessings of the veteran politician.
Fadnavis also said that the Congress will soon be reduced to two MLAs. But when this prediction came true, unexpectedly, Curtorim MLA Alexo Reginaldo Lourenco resigned to join the TMC, while the senior Rane remained with the party he has been associated with for the past 45 years.
Pratap Singh never lost an election, but Vishwajit—who won on a Congress ticket in 2017 and then immediately joined the BJP—said he has looked after the constituency for the past 20 years.
Congress has no strength in Rane’s Jagir Sattari without Pratap Singh. It does not have a strong candidate for Porim or Valpoi, as sources said, with Vishwajeet holding both the constituencies.
Apart from Valpoi, the health minister has been quick to address any issues in his father’s constituency.
On Tuesday, when senior Rane confirmed that he would contest on a Congress ticket, Vishwajeet said the family would “settle the issue amicably”.
A day later BJP MLA and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane He said that he would contest against his father and beat him by 10,000 votes, Congress got the ball rolling.
General Secretary and in-charge CEC Mukul Wasnik said in a brief statement on Wednesday, “The Central Election Committee (CEC) has approved the candidature of Pratap Singh Rane as Congress candidate for the upcoming General Election to the Goa Legislative Assembly from Porim constituency. ” , Rane has completed 50 years as an MLA and has been elected for 11 consecutive terms.
He is the longest-serving Chief Minister of Goa, having served five terms, the first of which was in 1980.
Rane, 83, has never lost an election from Porim—where he has won since 1989, the first election since Goa was granted statehood in 1987—but is now challenged by his son Vishwajit, another undefeated politician who Valpoi has tasted great success. neighboring constituency which he represents.
A source said that the senior Rane was initially unwilling to contest the fast-approaching elections. This is the reason why his name was not in the eight candidates announced by the Congress last week.
He may have changed his mind after Congress supporters urged him to contest, insisting that he would have to listen to his supporters’ requests.
In September, BJP’s Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis along with BJP state president Sadanand Shet Tanawade visited Pratap Singh at his residence. The senior Rane dismissed the visit as a courtesy call, but the former Maharashtra chief minister said his party has received the blessings of the veteran politician.
Fadnavis also said that the Congress will soon be reduced to two MLAs. But when this prediction came true, unexpectedly, Curtorim MLA Alexo Reginaldo Lourenco resigned to join the TMC, while the senior Rane remained with the party he has been associated with for the past 45 years.
Pratap Singh never lost an election, but Vishwajit—who won on a Congress ticket in 2017 and then immediately joined the BJP—said he has looked after the constituency for the past 20 years.
Congress has no strength in Rane’s Jagir Sattari without Pratap Singh. It does not have a strong candidate for Porim or Valpoi, as sources said, with Vishwajeet holding both the constituencies.
Apart from Valpoi, the health minister has been quick to address any issues in his father’s constituency.
On Tuesday, when senior Rane confirmed that he would contest on a Congress ticket, Vishwajeet said the family would “settle the issue amicably”.
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