With the Bharatiya Janata Party on track to forming the next government in Goa, discontentment may be brewing among Congress leaders from the coastal state.

Vishwajit P Rane, the Congress MLA from Valpoi and the leader of opposition in the outgoing Assembly, has announced he is quitting the party. Rane is also the son veteran Congressman and former Goa Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane.

An angry Rane spoke to India Today announcing his exit, slamming the way Congress failed to stitch together a majority in Goa despite emerging as the single-largest party after winning 17 seats.

"I am very disillusioned with the way the Goa scenario was handled is very shameful," he said. He indicated that more MLAs could follow in his footsteps, saying, "Congress MLAs are disgusted."

Reacting to the news, Congress spokesperson KC Venugopal, while admitting that the Congress's strategy in Goa will have to be rethought, said, "Nobody will leave the Congress." Venugopal added that he will speak to Vishwajit about the matter.

RANE SLAMS CONGRESS INACTION

Blaming Congress leaders for not moving swiftly enough Rane said that had the party accepted the demands of the Goa Forward Party, which has three MLAs, it would be sitting on the treasury benches. "Certain senior leaders should be hanged, those who scuttled the demands of the Goa Forward," Rane said.

GFP went on to support the BJP, which had managed to win only 13 seats in the 40-member Goa Assembly.

"(BJP leader Nitin) Gadkari could take the decision, why not our seniors?" Rane questioned. Gadkari played a vital role in ensuring that BJP formed the government.

Rane, "I told Digvijay Singh (Congress general secretary) that I am done with the working of the Congress party." He went on to echo Singh's claims about money having played a role in BJP's post-poll alliance.

"They (BJP) were auctioning posts for the leader of the legislative party, it was very shameful," Rane claimed. "When we were 17 we should have swiftly moved and compromises should have been made."

Rane signed off, saying the post-result fiasco would cost the Congress dearly in the future. "People in my constituency say...they have blacklisted the congress party, my voters say they will not accept the Congress again."

Meanwhile, Manohar Parrikar, who today formally resigned as the union defence minister, is set to take oath as the new Goa chief minister tomorrow.

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