PANJIM/ PORIEM: Former Chief Minister and Poriem MLA Pratapsingh Rane, the longest-serving and oldest legislator has finally bowed out of the race in deference to his son Health Minister Vishwajit Rane’s political ambitions. It’s however learned that the senor Rane, an 11-time MLA, who turned 83 on Friday was indeed keen to contests and had even sought divine blessings to start his campaign.
Pratap Singh Rane’s party leaders insist that the senior-most legislator in India was “forced” to back out by his son. This was told to Herald by the AICC desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao in an interview with Herald TV. (see accompanying story)
But a tussle began within the family asked Vishwajit his father to opt-out and pave the way for the candidature of his wife Divya Rane but on the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP) ticket.
However, there is another school of thought which says that this was all a part of the inner Rane family understanding played out in such a way that both the BJP Ranes, Vishwajit and Mrs. Divya Vishwajit Rane win the Valpoi and Poriem seats converting a Congress bastion into a BJP bastion
Rane was first elected to the erstwhile Goa Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly from the then Sattari constituency on the Maharashtwadi Gomantak Party (MGP) ticket in March 1972 polls. He was soon sworn in as a Minister in the Bandodkar cabinet. After Bandodkar’s death in August 1973, the then Chief Minister Shashikala Kakodkar also inducted him as a Minister.
Following differences with Kakodkar, Rane quit as a Minister from the MGP and joined Congress ahead of the 1977 Assembly elections.
Rane won the 1977 elections on the Congress symbol and was chosen as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition as the Congress could not secure a majority in the 30-Member Assembly. Within two years the Kakodkar government collapsed, and Goa was brought under President’s Rule for almost seven months.
In the general election held in January 1980, Congress secured an absolute majority, and Rane was elected as the leader of Congress Legislature Party and was sworn in as Chief Minister on the Opinion Poll Day, January 16, 1980.
Rane again became Chief Minister after winning the 1985 polls and also in January 1990 after Goa attained Statehood. But within less than three months his government was toppled and Goa witnessed defections and instability. Within five years Goa had seven Chief Ministers.
In 1994 elections, Goa again saw a hung Assembly but the Congress returned to power, and Rane as Chief Minister after four MGP MLAs defected. But his government was again toppled by a group of 10 party MLAs, who engineered defections in July 1998.
Rane won the Assembly election for the 11th consecutive term and became a Minister twice and Chief Minister on seven occasions, which is a record.
In India, Rane is also learned to be the third longest-serving legislator after DMK Chief M Karunanidhi and Maharashtra MLA Gopalrao Deshmukh. Karunanidhi won 13 times and was a legislator for 61 years while Deshmukh won 11 times and was MLA for 56 years.
Rane who became MLA on March 24, 1972, will fall short by eight days to complete 50 years as the current tenure of Goa Assembly ends on March 16 this year.
Rane, who won every Assembly election, has been accorded lifelong Cabinet status by the Goa government for completing 50 years as a legislator and for his service to the State.