Vishwajit Rane calls on Goa Governor, sparks speculation about eyeing CM’s post

No sooner had Rane met the governor, Sawant called a meeting of BJP MLAs to strengthen his position as the frontrunner to hold on to the top post. Seventeen MLAs who have been elected are said to have turned up for the meeting that was held at a hotel in Goa.

A contender for the Goa chief minister’s post, Vishwajit Rane, called on Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai on Saturday evening; a visit that sparked speculation over the purpose of his call amid reports of differences and factionalism among the elected BJP MLAs.

BJP leader Vishwajit Pratapsingh Rane called on Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai on Saturday evening. (PTI PHOTO.)

Rane said his visit was “solely a personal visit to invite him to my constituency and take his blessings following my victory in the assembly election”.

“A personal visit to His Excellency Hon’ble Governor of Goa has made such a stir. 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,” Rane said blaming a local media channel for politicising his visit.

Goa BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade too sought to play down the visit.

“There is anything political in the visit. It was a personal visit,” Tanavade told HT.

Intense lobbying is underway by two camps within the BJP over who will be the next chief minister of Goa. Rane is understood to be aggressively lobbying for the top post.