Pratapsingh Rane in Goa is elected for 11th consecutive time

NEW DELHI: It’s an 11th consecutive win for Chief Minister and Goa speaker Pratapsingh Raoji Rane. The Indian National Congress leader won his first elections in 1972 and had called it a day till his constituents convinced him to contest one last time.

Poriem wanted its ‘khashe’ to clock 50 consecutive years as an elected representative before he decided to retire from active politics.

Rane, the leader of Opposition in the last assembly has been the Congress’ first Goa CM in 1980 and CM five more times thereafter. This includes brief terms including one just a month long in the state’s notoriously unstable politics. After he made way for Digambar Kamat he was speaker of the state assembly. If the Congress can outmanoevre BJP in what looks like a hung assembly verdict for Goa, Rane has a chance of becoming CM again.

Rane hails from an old family of landlords from the north goa town of Sanquelim or Sankhali that traces its roots to Maratha Ranes. Mid-campaign on January 28th he was in his house celebrating his 78th birthday surrounded by locals who have never deserted him. He has helped built schools and colleges in the area, industrial training institutes, brought industries to Poriem and pushed irrigation projects across the state. But speaking to ET Rane says the secret of his success lies in being honest to his electorate. “Do what they want you to do for them. If you can’t tell them sorry, I can’t. God help you,” says Rane.