Goa's former health minister, Vishwajit Rane met with the Governor of the state, P S Sreedharan Pillai, just days after the recently concluded assembly election. Rane is said to be lobbying for the Chief Minister's post and this meeting with Governor is seen by some in the same context, however, Rane dismissed these reports and said that his visit to the governor was a personal one.
With the new government yet to be sworn in in Goa, this visit has triggered political speculation about who the next Goa CM would be.
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Vishwajit Rane denied reports of factionalism within the party in Goa and said, "It was solely a personal visit to invite him to my constituency and take his blessings following my victory in the Assembly election. Everything isn't political." (on Twitter)
However, reports suggest that Rane has been projecting himself as a candidate for Goa's CM as the incumbent Pramod Sawant held a meeting with 17 of his party's MLAs to consolidate his position.
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Meanwhile, Pramod Sawant has submitted his resignation to Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai, paving the way for the formation of a new government. He was appointed as the caretaker CM by Pillai.
BJP won 20 out of 40 seats and the party also has the support of three MGP MLAs to form a government in the state.
Vishwaji Rane maintained that his visit to Governor was personal and not political. In his tweets, he also blamed a local news channel for spreading misinformation about his visit to the Governor of state.
Despite Rane's statement, it is understood that he is strongly lobbying for the top post. Vishwajit Rane is an MLA from Valpoi constituency while his wife, Deviya emerged victorious from the Poriem assembly constituency.