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Goa's unenviable record: Nine CMs in 10 years

The toppling game began in April 1989 with the fall of the Pratapsingh Rane government. Churchill Alemao became the chief minister of the Progressive Democratic Front government, a breakaway Congress group of MLAs, and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, the main Opposition. He lasted 17 days.

Alemao vacated the post in favour of the then speaker Luis Proto Barbosa, who was tipped for the seat when the rebels decided to topple the Rane government.

The Barbosa government fell within eight months when serious differences developed with the MGP.

After the fall of the PDF government, MGP rebel Ravi Naik joined hands with the Congress and became chief minister.

Blessed by then Congress president Rajiv Gandhi, Naik consolidated his position both in the government and the party, much to the discomfort of Dr Wilfred de Souza, who was the deputy chief minister in his government. The understanding between the two was that Naik would vacate in favour of Dr de Souza.

Naik remained in power for two years and four months, from January 25, 1991 to May 18, 1993, and had to vacate office due to a court order in a disqualification case.

Dr de Souza took over from Naik and remained in power for almost 11 months. In a tussle between the two, then state governor Bhanu Prakash Singh installed Naik again as chief minister. The Narasimha Rao government sacked the governor and Dr de Souza was brought back as the chief minister after four days. He continued till December 1994 when Rane emerged as the consensus candidate for the chief minister's post.

Rane took over on December 16, 1994 and was toppled by his deputy chief minister Dr de Souza on July 29, 1998. Four Congress rebels toppled the de Souza government on November 26, 1998 and Luizinho Faleiro took over the same day. Independent rebels tossed out the Faleiro government on February 9, 1999, resulting in the imposition of President's rule on February 10.

The next chief minister will be the state's fifteenth.

UNI

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