Panaji, October 17: Health minister Vishwajit Pratap Singh Rane, who managed to bring two Congress MLAs into the BJP's fold, may replace ailing Manohar Parrikar as Goa chief minister. The arrival of Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte into BJP has put not just the Congress in a tight spot, but also the ruling party's allies Goa Forward and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).

After Shirodkar and Sopte's induction into the BJP, the Congress is no longer in a position to claim the single largest party (in the state assembly) status and exercise their privilege before the Governor to stake claim to form a government. The switch-over also leaves very little room to manoeuvre for Goa Forward and MGP, some of whose members were flirting with the Congress.

Vishwajit Rane has claimed the credit of the crucial development, and is now being seen as the front-runner for the chief ministerial position. "He (Vishwajit) must have told the BJP High Command, that he will get two Congress MLAs, so make him Chief Minister," Congress secretary A Chellakumar told IANS on Tuesday. Rane resigned as Congress MLA after the 2017 assembly polls to join the BJP. Ruling Allies of Goa BJP to Meet Shah in Delhi.

Rane, son of former four-time Congress Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane, says he is on a mission to wipe out Congress from the state. "I will demolish the Congress party. They will be reduced to 10 by Christmas-New Year. Save your flock. That is my message to Rahul Gandhi. Leaders in the Congress are tired of Rahul Gandhi," he told IANS.

Tough Road Ahead For Vishwajit Rane:

While he was a part of the Congress, however, Vishwajit Rane's outspokenness, his penchant for the dramatic and constant threats to the party's leadership about contesting assembly elections as an independent rather than on a Congress ticket, has more often than not peeved his peer as well as seniors within the party, said the IANS report. A large chunk of the state BJP leadership is wary of what Rane could bring to the table.

"He is a man in too much hurry and cannot lead a cluster of MLAs. He can win his constituency without any party support, but that does not mean he is necessarily a team player. He has always got his way around Congress leadership because of his father's reach in the party. Can he function in a more disciplined, structured organisation like ours?" a BJP leader was quoted as saying.

Caste calculations also do not appear in favour of Rane, who belongs to Maratha community, as the BJP needs to woo back the Bhandari (non-Brahmin, non-Maratha caste grouping) voters ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The tag of 'newcomer' is one of the major hurdles between Rane and the top post as members of the BJP's state core committee have gone on record, that the party needs a chief ministerial candidate who has solid BJP credentials.

Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar and Speaker Pramod Sawant and Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik are also in the race for the chief minister's post.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 17, 2018 10:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).