Vishwajit Rane | |
|---|---|
 Rane in 2017 | |
| Minister of Health Government of Goa | |
| Assumed office 12 April 2017[1][2] | |
| Chief Minister | Manohar Parrikar Pramod Sawant |
| Preceded by | Francis D'Souza[3][4] |
| Member of Goa Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Narahari Haldankar |
| Constituency | Valpoi |
| Minister of Health, Agriculture and Craftsmen Training Government of Goa | |
| In office 24 June 2010[5] – 3 March 2012[5] | |
| Chief Minister | Digambar Kamat |
| Minister of Health, Agriculture & Craftsmen Training Government of Goa | |
| In office 25 June 2007[5] – 24 June 2010[6] | |
| Chief Minister | Digambar Kamat |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Vishwajit Pratapsingh Rane (1971-03-23)23 March 1971 (age 54) Bombay, Maharashtra, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party (since 2017) |
| Other political affiliations | Indian National Congress (2007–2017) |
| Spouse | Deviya Rane[7] |
| Parent |
|
| Alma mater | T. A. Pai Management Institute |
| Website | Official website |
Vishwajit Pratapsingh Rane (born 23 March 1971) is an Indian politician and acabinet minister in theGovernment of Goa. The son of formerChief Minister of GoaPratapsingh Rane, he previously served as the Minister of Health, Agriculture and Craftsmen Training in theGovernment of Goa led byDigambar Kamat from June 2007 to March 2012. He resigned as theMLA of theValpoi Constituency[9] and also from theIndian National Congress on 16 March 2017.[10]
Rane later joined theBharatiya Janata Party on 7 April 2017[11] and was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister on 12 April 2017 in the cabinet led byManohar Parrikar.[1] He was allotted the Health portfolio[12] on 18 April 2017.[13] In 2022, Rane won the assembly election on BJP ticket fromPoriem. He made national headlines during his alleged involvement in theRafale deal controversy when a recording was leaked of a close aide of Rane andManohar Parrikar in which Parrikar stated that the Rafale scam files were in his bedroom.Rahul Gandhi tried to play the recording in the Lok Sabha, but was not allowed to.[14]
Vishwajit Rane was born inBombay,Maharashtra, India, to veteran politicianPratapsingh Rane and Vijayadevi Rane. He did his schooling inPanaji's People's High School.[15] Vishwajit graduated from theGoa University with aBachelor of Commerce degree and obtained apostgraduate diploma in Management Studies from theT. A. Pai Management Institute atManipal.[16] He representedGoa State in badminton.[5] Rane is married to Dr.Deviya Timblo.[17][16]
Rane started his political career as a member of theIndian National Congress and also used the platform of his organisation namedSattari Yuva Morcha. In 2016, the organisation submitted an application to theElection Commission of India to be registered as a political party[18][19] but Rane maintained that he had no role in the same.[20] He established theSattari Yuva Morcha and served as its President.[5] He was also the Chairman of theGovernment of Goa's Goa Tourism Development Corporation.[21] Rane was the General Secretary of theGoa Pradesh Congress Committee.[22]
Rane contested the2007 Goa Legislative Assembly elections as an independent candidate. TheIndian National Congress then had decided that it would not allot its candidature to more than one person from the same family. As a result,Pratapsingh Rane successfully contested as theIndian National Congress candidate in the2007 Goa Legislative Assembly elections from thePoriem constituency while Vishwajit successfully contested as an independent from the neighbouringValpoi constituency after resigning as the General Secretary of theGoa Pradesh Congress Committee and also from the party's primary membership.[22][23]
After the2007 Legislative Goa Assembly elections, theIndian National Congress party led byDigambar Kamat formed a coalition government inGoa.[24] Vishwajit was inducted as a Cabinet Minister in the Government led by Kamat. He was allocated the portfolios of Health, Agriculture and Craftsmen Training.[5]
On 24 June 2010, Rane resigned as the independentMLA and also as a Cabinet Minister, to contest aby-election fromValpoi constituency as anIndian National Congress candidate. He joined theIndian National Congress[25] and was sworn in again as the Cabinet Minister the same day.[6] Rane successfully retained theValpoi constituency in theby-election.[26]
During his tenure as a Cabinet Minister, Vishwajit Rane expanded his influence in theSattari andBicholim talukas ofGoa.[27] After the demise of the Gurudas Gawas[28] who was theIndian National Congress legislator fromPale constituency, Vishwajit played a key role in the election of the former's brother Pratap Gauns from the constituency in abye-election.[29] He also ensured the victory of several candidates backed by him.[27]
In the2012 Goa Legislative Assembly elections, Vishwajit emerged victorious fromValpoi constituency as a candidate of theIndian National Congress.[30]
Vishwajit Rane retained hisValpoi constituency as a candidate of theIndian National Congress in the2017 Goa Legislative Assembly elections.[31] But after theIndian National Congress could not form the government despite securing 17 seats in the 40-memberGoa Legislative Assembly, Vishwajit Rane blamed the party leadership.[32] He also wrote toRahul Gandhi, the Vice President of theIndian National Congress, complaining about the indecisiveness of the party leaders likeDigvijaya Singh (who was the Goa desk in-charge of the party)[33] and threatening to resign from the party if no heed was paid to his grievances.[34][35] WhileChief Minister of GoaManohar Parrikar proved his majority on the floor of the house on 16 March 2017, Vishwajit Rane remained absent[36] during the voting in protest of the leaders of theIndian National Congress.[37]
The same day, he resigned from the membership of theIndian National Congress and also as theMLA ofValpoi Constituency.[34] On 7 April 2017, Rane joined theBharatiya Janata Party and announced that he would contest aby-election in theValpoi Constituency as aBharatiya Janata Party candidate.[38]
Vishwajit Rane was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister on 12 April 2017 in the cabinet led byManohar Parrikar.[1] He was allotted the portfolio of Health.[13][39] As the Health Minister in thethird Manohar Parrikar Ministry, Rane took the decision of charging nominal fees in theGoa Medical College,Hospicio Hospital and the Asilo Hospital for the patients who are not residents of thestate ofGoa since 1 January 2018.[40][41][42][43][44]
Vishwajit Rane retained hisValpoi constituency as a candidate of theBharatiya Janata Party in the2022 Goa Legislative Assembly elections. Deviya Rane his spouse also won the Porem Constituency election on theBharatiya Janata Party ticket. Vishwajit and Deviya Rane are now spousal couple in Goa Legislative Assembly. The other spousal couples are Atanasio Monserrate and Jennifer Monserrate, and Michael Lobo and Delilah Lobo.[citation needed]
In 2019, Rane was involved in theRafale deal controversy when Congress released an audio clip, purportedly of Rane, claiming that then-Chief MinisterManohar Parrikar held Rafale deal files in his bedroom, implying potential blackmail.[45] Rane dismissed the clip as "doctored," denying any discussion on the Rafale deal and calling for a criminal investigation. He wrote to BJP PresidentAmit Shah and Parrikar, reiterating the audio’s inauthenticity. Congress persisted, alleging the clip exposed irregularities in the Rafale deal, but no conclusive evidence substantiated the claims.[46][47]
In June 2025, Rane publicly reprimanded and ordered the suspension of the Chief Medical Officer atGoa Medical College and Hospital, after a complaint about the doctor's alleged mistreatment of a patient. A viral video showed Rane berating the doctor, prompting backlash from theIndian Medical Association and Goa Association of Resident Doctors, who demanded a fair inquiry and a public apology, threatening a strike. Opposition parties, includingCongress andAam Aadmi Party, criticized Rane’s authoritarian approach, calling for his removal as the Health Minister. Rane defended his actions, prioritizing patient care but admitted his tone could have been more measured. Chief MinisterPramod Sawant then overruled the doctor's suspension.[48][49]
Also in June 2025, Congress accused Rane of a "jobs-for-cash" scam involving fake appointment letters. Rane denied the allegations, challenging accusers to provide evidence and directing his departments to file complaints against forged documents.[50]
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