Goa polls: Father, son likely to lock horns for Poriem seat

Congress on Wednesday announced the candidature of former Goa Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane as its candidate from Poriem, a day after his son Vishwajit, a BJP Minister, asked him to retire gracefully, and said that if he does not, he would be ready to fight against his father.

The party had on December 16 put on hold Rane's candidature when the first list was released as their Goa in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao submitted a note to Congress president Sonia Gandhi over the pressure faced by the former Chief Minister from the family against contesting.

DH had then reported that Rane was under pressure from family not to contest, as the BJP has plans to field his daughter or son's wife from the seat. The party high command was apprised of the situation then.

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The party leadership released his name on Wednesday evening, a day after the senior Rane said that party workers had urged him to contest and he was fit for another battle.

At present, Vishwajit represents Valpoi seat and on Tuesday said that he had asked BJP to allow him to take on his father if he contests. Vishwajit Rane had shifted to BJP soon after the 2017 Assembly elections and became a minister.

Vishwajit said his father should perhaps think about "retiring gracefully" and reminded him that he has been a Chief Minister for nine terms. "My father will also have to think. At 83, why does he have to continue in politics? A person who is my idol and someone I have so much respect for, that person should gracefully retire, not retire in the battlefield. It will be a messy thing," Vishwajit said.

Sources said the Congress leadership went ahead with the announcement of his candidature after the veteran decided to stay in the fight. It also came at the right time for the Congress, which was on the backfoot after its working president Aleixo Reginaldo joined Trinamool Congress on Tuesday, days after being named as a candidate by the Congress.

Sources said they were surprised by Reginaldo's decision as he had met the Screening committee and made some party committees to recommend his name for the seat.

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