Margao: Veteran Congressman and Poriem Mla Pratapsingh Rane on Tuesday hinting to retire from active politics to open the way for the younger generation to take the coat.
“I have completed almost 50 years in politics.
The time has come to me to rest.
I feel very felt that I must now rest and give you the opportunity to youth,” said the former minister on Tuesday.
“Goa is a progressive country, let’s take a developed country.
Let’s encourage young people and bring them forward too,” he said, speaking at the celebration of the Congress Foundation Day in Panaji.
What is important is that the Congress has stated Rane as his candidate from Poriem.
The announcement of the congress on Rane’s nomination on December 23, has come a day after his son, Minister of Health Vishwajit, said he would compete against his father and defeat him.
In further rounds to move, the day later, Rane denied that the party had completed his nomination, so that he was in two things about fighting for another election.
Rane had never lost the election from Poriem – where he won since 1989, the first election after Goa reached the state.
He is cm five times and has been selected for 10 consecutive terms.
While the 83-year-old child did not seem too interested in fighting with a poll of 2022 early, he changed his mind after his supporters insisted that he had a contest.
“I have to listen to my passion,” he said, announcing his decision to fight the poll, the day before the Congress cleaned his nomination.
With Rane now openly expressed his desire to “rest,” political observer felt that Congress must now accelerate the practice of finding a replacement Rane.
“Fifty years ago when I first played the election in 1972, Congress was not strong political power in Goa,” Rane said.
“Now, the congress has grown much stronger and has penetrated far in the state.”