Rane to be sworn in
CM tomorrow
Sandesh Prabhudesai
6 June 2005
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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