Rane to take over as CM

Rane will take oath at 10 am with a team of 12 ministers. Goa Governor S.C. Jamir is expected to send his report to the Home Ministry later tonight communicating the election of a stable government in the state.

Rane’s name as CLP leader was proposed by former chief minister and GPCC president Luizinho Faleiro while by senior party leader Dayanand Narvekar seconded it. Rane had headed the 33-day old government immediately after the ouster of the Manohar Parrikar government on February 3.

It would be the seventh time for Rane as the Chief Minister of the politically troubled state. The centre had imposed President’s rule and kept the house under suspended animation from March 4 even as the Rane government won the confidence vote 17-16 by the speaker’s casting vote after interim speaker Francisco Sardinha had restrained UGDP legislator Marhanhy Saldanha from voting in the 34-member equally divided house.

Margaret Alva said here that a co-ordination committee would be set up to co-ordinate between the party and government. She added that the government would function through a spirit of consensus.However Rane’s election as CM has been opposed by the young turks of the Congress. Party spokesman Jitendra Deshprabhu felt that the senior leaders of the party must rest. ‘‘They must pave the way for the younger lot,’’ Deshprabhu said. He was critical of the alliance partners in forcing the Congress to choose its leader.

During the Manohar Parrikar years Deshprabhu emerged as a major opponent to the BJP fight the party on the floor of the house. On the other hand Rane usually kept quiet and did not even support Deshprabhu.