Maharashtra industries minister Narayan Rane has extended a warm hand of friendship to union minister for heavy industries Vilasrao Deshmukh.
Setting aside old rivalry, Maharashtra industries minister Narayan Rane has extended a warm hand of friendship to union minister for heavy industries Vilasrao Deshmukh.
Deshmukh and Rane, who met on Thursday, have decided to work together to form a strong partnership for the assembly elections to overcome their political isolation within the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC). The meeting has set alarm bells ringing in chief minister Ashok Chavan’s camp, since Deshmukh and Rane are considered front-runners for the job if the Congress returns to power after the assembly elections. The meeting has raised eyebrows in the Congress’ ally, NCP, too.
In the current set-up, Chavan calls the shots in the Democratic Front government and the MPCC, effectively sidelining Deshmukh and Rane in decision-making. Feeling isolated and concerned about the electoral future of the party, Deshmukh and Rane decided to evolve a strategy to ensure the Congress wins at least 95 of the 288 seats in the assembly elections.
Rane took the initiative to call upon Deshmukh at Delhi late on Thursday night. During the 90-minute meeting, the two agreed to work together for the October assembly elections, sources said.
“Rane discussed matters related to industries, and gradually the discussion veered to politics in Maharashtra,” a close aide of Rane said not wanting to be named.
Insiders in the MPCC said Rane is trying to mend fences with Deshmukh to make inroads at the Centre, since Margaret Alva and Prabha Rau, who were known in the Congress as his godmothers, were moved out of New Delhi as governors of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, respectively.
A senior general-secretary of the MPCC said, “We need hardliners like Deshmukh and Rane at the helm to keep the NCP in check during the seat-sharing talks. If things are left to Chavan and Manickrao Thackre (MPCC chief), the NCP leaders may drive a hard bargain during the talks and have their way. This may damage the Congress’ prospects in the elections.”
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