Senior Congress leader Narayan Rane announced his resignation from the party on Thursday, 21 September. His son Nilesh, an ex-MP, also quit the party.
Some news reports speculated that Rane is likely to join BJP, while other reports said that he is expected to set up an independent banner. Rane said he would go on a tour of Maharashtra before announcing the next course of action and criticised state Congress President Ashok Chavan.
I shall prove my strength to Ashok Chavan. Many more Congress leaders shall follow suit. My son Nilesh and I have now become ‘Congress-mukt’ and have nothing to do with the party.Narayan Rane
Addressing the media, Rane said that the Congress unkept promises led him to resign. “In the last twelve years, the Congress didn’t keep any of the promises it made to me. In this committee meeting, we have decided that the entire district committee of Sindhugurg is going to resign today. The resolution was passed by everybody,” he said.
“I will finish the Sena and the Congress,” he added,
In 2005, the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra had quit the Shiv Sena. Weeks later, he joined the Congress. Rane was the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance Chief Minister for a year (in 1999) when it ruled the state between 1995 and 1999.
In recent months, Rane has met BJP President Amit Shah and even Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on a couple of occasions in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, sparking off rumours of his exit from the Congress.
Though the BJP fuelled the speculation by announcing it would welcome Rane with open arms, Rane had dismissed them as mere rumours.
(With inputs from IANS)
(#TalkingStalking: Have you ever been stalked? Share your experience with The Quint and inspire others to shatter the silence surrounding stalking. Send your stories to editor@thequint.com or WhatsApp @ +919999008335)