Mumbai, June 6
Conceding the demands of its allies, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) in Goa today elected former Chief Minister Pratapsinh Raoji Rane as its leader.

Governor of Goa S.C. Jamir is expected to send his report to the Home Ministry later tonight, communicating the election of a stable government in the state. Mr Rane will formally take oath as Chief Minister tomorrow morning after a notification signed by President Kalam revoking the President’s rule in Goa is received.

Sources said, Mr Rane, along with 12 ministers, would be sworn in tomorrow at 10 a.m. The ministers to be included would be from the Congress and its alliance partners, the NCP and the MGP.

AICC General Secretary in charge of Goa told reporters in Panjim that the name of Mr Rane was proposed by former Chief Minister and the GPCC president Luizimho Faleiro, while it was seconded by senior party leader Dayanand Narvekar. Mr Rane had headed the 33-day-old government immediately after the ouster of the Manohar Parrikar government on February 3.

Shortly before the CLP meeting today, the two-member NCP and the lone MLA of the MGP informed the Congress party that Congress leaders Ravi Naik, Luizinho Faleiro and Dayanand Narvekar would not be acceptable to them. Mr Rane then emerged as the consensus candidate.

It would be the seventh time for Mr Rane as the Chief Minister of the politically troubled state.

The Centre had imposed President’s rule and kept the House under suspended animation from March 4 even as the Rane government won the confidence vote 17-16 by the Speaker’s casting vote after interim speaker Francisco Sardinha had restrained the UGDP legislator Marhanhy Saldanha from voting in the 34-member equally divided house.

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet tonight decided to recommend to President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam the revocation of the Central rule in Goa.

After a Cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told mediapersons that the Cabinet met to consider the report of Goa Governor S. C. Jamir with details of the numerical strength in the state Assembly.

In his report, the Governor said the President’s rule, which was imposed in March, should be revoked and a popular government installed.