Maharashtra Industries Minister Narayan Rane
Maharashtra Industries Minister Narayan Rane is reportedly contemplating quitting the Congress.
According to sources, Mr Rane is likely to announce his stand in two days. "He has kept quiet for three years but not any more," sources close to him said.
Mr Rane, who has made his displeasure known several times over the functioning of the state Congress leadership, is extremely upset since his son Nilesh lost from Ratnagiri- Sindhudurg Lok Sabha seat to Shiv Sena. He stayed away from Cabinet meetings as well since Congress suffered a massive defeat, bagging only 2 out of total 27 seats it had contested in the state.
The BJP-Shiv Sena combine won 42 of Maharashtra's 48 seats.
Mr Rane has blamed Congress' ally, Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for conspiring to defeat Congress candidates. He had tendered his resignation from the Cabinet on the day results were declared but Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan turned it down.
On the issue of leadership change after the defeat, Mr Rane had said that he would discuss the issue with the party workers and make his stand known.
During the campaign, Mr Rane had lamented that Congress had not utilised his services properly.
Narayan Rane, who had quit Shiv Sena in 2005 to join Congress, was inducted as minister in the Vilasrao Deshmukh government. Sources close to the former Shiv sainik claimed that he had been promised chief ministership, but the Congress leadership had denied that Mr Rane's entry into the party was conditional.
Mr Rane had served as chief minister for nine months in 1999 when the Shiv Sena - BJP combine was in power in the state.