Rane in, Sena out for BJP in Maharashtra? Amit Shah to decide

Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Narayan Rane's induction into the BJP is all set to create turbulence in the alliance government in the state

It will be D-day for Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena alliance in Maharashtra on Thursday as Narayan Rane is all set to defect from the Congress. Rane's induction into the BJP is being vehemently opposed by the Shiv Sena as well as Devendra Fadnavis but with reins now in Amit Shah's hand, there is little that either can do. Rane's entry into the BJP has made the Sena uncomfortable.

Amid Shiv Sena's threats of withdrawing from the government, the BJP is all set to welcome Rane, a strongman from Konkan region and a former Shiv Sena leader. The former Maharashtra Chief Minister's induction into the BJP and space for his sons has come as an eyesore to the Shiv Sena. Rane quit the Shiv Sena in 2005 after a fallout with none other than Uddhav Thackeray. On Monday, Shiv Sena's leader Sanjay Raut took to Twitter to announce the party's mood sparking off speculations. Despite the threat, Shiv Sena ministers attended the cabinet on Tuesday. The Sena will now wait till Thursday when Rane is expected to make an announcement on his next political move.

Reports suggest that Devendra Fadnavis has already communicated the inevitable induction of Rane into the BJP to the Sena leadership. Rane comes as added strength to the BJP but a threat to the Sena in the Konkan region where eight seats are at stake. The BJP has none of the eight seats in Konkan while the Sena has five, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has two and Congress has one. Rane's induction will change the narrative completely giving BJP the upper hand. Rane will hold a meeting of his supporters and other Congress leaders from the Konkan region to decide the next course of action before making the same public on Thursday.

Rane has made it amply clear that he is BJP-bound, His marathon meetings with BJP state and central leadership has only made matters more clear. Adding salt to injury, Rane, in a television interview said that he even had offers to re-join the Shiv Sena but refused to do so. The Shiv Sena neither confirmed his claims nor denied it.

Rane and his two sons are BJP-bound and the party's National President, Amit Shah, is expected to decide on their positions in the party during the national executive meet between September 24 and 25 in New Delhi. Despite being one of the oldest allies of the BJP, the SHiv Sena has only one cabinet berth in the Narendra Modi government, a fact that has always made the party uncomfortable. Rane's induction and prominence to his two sons in Maharashtra is only enraging the Sena further.

For the Sena that is already issuing warnings to the Devendra Fadnavis government, Rane's indiuction is likely to be the last straw.

OneIndia News