PANAJI: Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane today appeared before Speaker of the legislative assembly in connection with the disqualification petition filed against him by independent legislator Prasad Gaonkar.
Rane requested speaker Pramod Sawant to grant him more time to furnish reply on the notice about disqualification petition.
"The time of four weeks was granted to Rane to file his reply," Sawant told PTI.
The hearing on the petition would now be held on September 4, said Sawant.
Gaonkar, who is representing Sanguem constituency, had filed disqualification petition against Rane last week seeking to disqualify him from contesting the election.
Rane is a BJP candidate for the by-election from the Valpoi assembly constituency which is going to polls on August 23.
Rane, who is currently minister in the Manohar Parrikar-led Cabinet, had resigned as Member of Legislative Assembly on March 16 when the Chief Minister took the floor test to prove his majority.
He later joined BJP and was inducted in the state cabinet.
Congress has already filed another disqualification petition against Rane which is currently being heard by the Bombay High Court at Goa.
The party has contended that Rane stood disqualified since a whip was issued to all the MLAs including him to vote against the confidence motion moved by Manohar Parrikar and he had walked out without voting before tendering his resignation as Congress MLA.