PANAJI
After keeping his Congress party leadership and State guessing for weeks, former chief minister Pratapsingh Rane finally threw in the towel and backed off from locking horns in an electoral battle with his daughter-in-law Dr Divya Rane in Poriem.
On Thursday, the penultimate day for filing of nominations for the February 14 assembly elections, Rane cited his age (he is 87 years old) to retire from electoral politics after nearly 50 years of uninterrupted membership of the Goa legislative assembly.
He told a leading national television channel that he will not contest due to his advanced age and not because of any family pressure.
The move has dented the electoral outlook for the Congress which had already declared the senior leader as their candidate for Poriem.
The party is now pitting Ranjit Rane from the seat held by the Senior Rane for five decades.
For several weeks, an intense intra-family tussle within the Rane household was seemingly playing out with son, currently, health minister in the BJP government, egging his father to "gracefully retire" in favour of his wife.
The Congress named the senior Rane as its candidate in Poriem back in early December which triggered an angry reaction from the health minister.
As recently as last week, the senior Rane again caused a flutter in political circles when accompanied by wife Vijayadevi, he paid obeisance to a local deity signalling the start of campaigning.
There was speculation that either he or Vijayadevi may fight the elections on the Congress ticket against their daughter-in-law, Divya, who was given the ticket by the BJP.
Congress senior election observer P Chidambaram had also said that the party had given the senior Rane the free hand to either contest himself or suggest an alternative name.
However, the Rane family drama ended on Thursday with senior Rane finally claiming that he is bowing out on account of his age.
