Rane to be sworn in CM tomorrow

| 06 June 2005 18:54 IST

Pratapsing Rane will be the chief minister of Goa. He will be sworn in tomorrow at the Raj Bhavan.

Following the Congress Legislature Party meeting, where Rane was chosen the leader, AICC general secretary Margaret Alva announced that the Congress would stake claim today evening.

The two-member Nationalist Congress Party and one-member Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party will support the Congress-led government.

This will end the three-month long President’s rule, bringing the Assembly back to life.

The 40-member Assembly was kept under suspended animation on 4 March, till the by-elections, held on 5 June in the coastal state.

Resignation of five members of the then ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and withdrawal of support by the allies had ultimately led to the collapse of the four-year old Manohar Parrikar government on 4 March.

Though Rane was then installed as the chief minister of the Congress-led alliance, he had failed to muster majority as the number game has resulted into 17 each in the 34-member House.

The by-elections have however now elected three Congressmen and one NCP, those who had resigned from the BJP. The saffron party however has managed to defeat one of them – Isidore Fernandes, who had also quit the BJP.

This has now resulted into the Congress having 18 legislators and support of two NCP and one MGP legislator, making it 21. The BJP, on the other hand, however have only 17 members while one United Goans Democratic Party legislator also supports them.

The Congress-led alliance however has not yet decided the rest of the cabinet, though it is certain that NCP leader Dr Wilfred de Souza would be the deputy chief minister.

Those who had quit the BJP to get re-elected on the Congress ticket have also been demanding cabinet berths. “We will decided it later”, said Rane.

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