PANAJI: Denials notwithstanding, Mr Vishwajit Rane, the Health Minister and Independent MLA from Valpoi, is all set to rejoin the Congress party on Thursday afternoon along with his supporters at an impressive ceremony.

According to highly placed sources in the Congress, Mr Rane would quit his seat in the assembly on Thursday morning before joining the party in the afternoon. He is also likely to tender his resignation from the cabinet to meet technical requirement and would be inducted in the cabinet after he joins the Congress at the Raj Bhavan in the afternoon.

The Congress sources said that Mr Rane would join the Congress at 2 p.m. and that he would be sworn in as a minister later. The sources also said the All-India Congress Committee general-secretary, Mr B K Hariprasad, would be present during the readmission of Mr Rane in Congress and also at the swearing-in ceremony.

Mr Rane would be the second minister of the cabinet led by Mr Digambar Kamat to join the Congress within a span of four
days.

Earlier, Mr Atanasio Monserrate, the Education Minister had joined the Congress along with 150 supporters on Monday at a simple ceremony attended by the Chief Minister and Congress party officials.

Sources close to Mr Rane said that scores of buses have been hired by the supporters of Mr Rane to ferry his workers and voters from Valpoi on Thursday. Around 3,000 workers and supporters of Mr Rane are expected to be present while he is readmitted in the Congress fold.