PANAJI
They may have overcome the strong anti-family raj sentiment to successfully fight and win the February 14 assembly election returning as MLAs.
However, the Monserrates and the Ranes now face a new struggle -- concerning a slice of the power and finding a berth in the new 12-member Cabinet.
The BJP has overcome the test of the risk it took by nominating against odds and general public sentiment the two couples for the election even as it had denied the same privilege to former deputy chief minister Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar and his wife Savitri.
Now, however, the party is in no mood to accede to their demand that all four be accommodated in the new Cabinet. They have also been tersely told that their demand will not be accepted and only one from among each couple will be inducted, a top BJP source said.
The party is already forced into a tight-rope walk on the question of the composition of the new Cabinet with a number of 'seniors' and sitting ministers being re-elected -- Ravi Naik (Ponda), Mauvin Godinho (Dabolim) Govind Gaude (Priol), Subhash Shirodkar (Shiroda), Nilesh Cabral (Curchorem), Rohan Khaunte (Porvorim) and Ramesh Tawardkar (Canacona) .
In addition, having fallen short of the simple majority of 21 by one seat, the party will also be saddled with the need to accommodate the legit demands of the government's allies -- the two MLAs of the MGP and the three independents.
None-the-less on the question of who from among the Monserrates and the Ranes will eventually be lucky and get to be part of the Cabinet is the question that is drawing much interest among political analysts, watchers and enthusiasts.
The Monserrates -- Atanasio alias Babush and Jennifer -- won their respective Panaji and Taleigao seats against stiff challenges. The Ranes -- Vishwajit and Deviya -- had facile sailings through the hustings in Valpoi and Poriem respectively.
That Vishwajit will be the choice among the Ranes for the cabinet berth is relatively straight forward as his spouse is a first-timer in politics.
Among the Monserrate's, the party is seemingly in favour of retaining Jennifer in the cabinet as it would also fulfil the need of having representation for a woman. However, it has been left by the party up to the Monserrates to come up with who among them will corner the berth.
