Team Herald
PANJIM: “Age does not matter, you are fit to be a politician till your health supports you,” is what the State’s senior-most active politician and longest serving Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane said on Saturday after winning yet another election.
The election results also created a history in Indian politics as outgoing Leader of the Opposition Rane got elected for the tenth time and will complete 50 years of his political career during this term.
Rane, who was Chief Minister even before Goa attained statehood, is in the race to be the next Chief Minister, even as sources claim that the he will be the Speaker. He has occupied Chief Minister’s seat six times.
This is the tenth term for the 77-year-old veteran who started his political career with the MGP in 1972 but later shifted to Congress and has been in the party for almost three decades.
Talking to the media after defeating BJP candidate Vishwajit K Rane, he appeared happier that he is entering his tenth term. “I feel happy that I will be completing 50 years of my political career with this term. I thank all my supporters who have been with me in this journey,” he said.
“I am not claiming the CM’s position. It is for the party to decide,” he added.
after emerging from a meeting with AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh.
This election, Rane managed to gain a margin of over 4000 votes when he fetched 14,977 votes against his opponent. His journey has been interesting where he has been winning with varied margins. In 2007, his margin was 3736 which had plunged to 2547 in 2012
His chief ministerial terms have been from 1980 to 1985, 1985 to 1989, for three months in 1990, from 1994 to 1999, a month in 2005 and finally in 2005-07.
