The central leadership of the Congress is willing to give credit to state Revenue Minister Narayan Rane for electoral success in Vidarbha.
MUMBAI: The central leadership of the Congress is willing to give credit to state Revenue Minister Narayan Rane for electoral success in the Vidarbha by-elections, but it has no plans, yet, to make him chief minister.
AICC sources say that even if there is a change of guard after the zilla parishad and civic polls in January 2007, Rane is unlikely to be a frontrunner for the CM’s post.
The Congress could surprise everyone by supporting union power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to pacify Dalits and minorities. Another name being discussed is that of union minister in Prime Minister Office (PMO) Prithviraj Chavan.
Rane’s close associates admit that in the last six months Rane has reconciled himself to a wait-and-watch policy. Meantime, he is determined to strengthen his base.
Rane does not entertain any discussion on chief ministership. “When I joined the Congress, I had promised to make Congress the number one party in the state. My endeavour is to work for the organisation,” he maintains.
Congress spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam says, “Nobody knows when there will be a change of leadership in the state. But there is nothing wrong if anybody (read Rane) is ambitious for the top job. In politics every worker has some ambitions. But the chief minister decision is always taken by the top leadership.”
According to party insiders, Rane had offered to entirely manage the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) and also be accountable for electoral results. But top functionaries were afraid he would convert the party into a one-man show.
“The problem with Rane is that instead of becoming a part of the system, he likes to run the system,” an AICC senior general secretary (not wishing to be named), remarked.
The tussle for getting a grip on the organisation is clearly visible. Both MPCC chief Prabha Rau and AICC general secretary Margaret Alva have always batted in favour of Rane.
But Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has a large number of loyal office bearers to strike a balance. So, not surprisingly, when Rane followers gave the revenue minister credit for the Daryapur and Chimur success, Deshmukh said, “It was a commentary on his good government policies.”
Interestingly, AICC general secretary and political advisor to Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel, is the pointman for both Deshmukh and Rane. To make matters more complex, the Central leadership also has to address its ally NCP’s concerns before it effects a leadership change.
The NCP has always made its dislike for Rane as chief minister very public. Other CM aspirants within the Congress like Patangrao Kadam, Rohidas Patil and Govindrao Adhik also make things difficult for Rane.
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