Succumbing to resistance from its alliance partner Shiv Sena, the ruling BJP on Monday compelled its new ally and former Chief Minister Narayan Rane to back out of the State Council’s poll race by nominating its Mumbai unit's vice president Prasad lad as its candidate for the December 7 by-election.
Monday was the last day for filing nominations to the State Council by-poll scheduled for December 7.
The by-poll has been necessitated by the resignation tendered by Rane who, it may be recalled, had quit Congress and given up his membership in the Maharashtra legislative Council on September 21.
Rane -- who after quitting the Congress floated a new political outfit “Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha” and subsequently joined the BJP- led NDA in the hope that he might land a berth in the Maharashtra Cabinet—had been lobbying for the ruling BJP’s support to contest the December 7 State Council by-poll.
Rane had met Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at the latter’s official residence “Varsha” on Sunday night, in an effort to seek the BJP’s support to contest the Council by-poll. At this meeting, Fadnavis is understood to have told Rane that he was unable to extend support to the candidature of the latter in view of the stiff resistance from the Shiv Sena to his candidature. Fadnavis, however, assured Rane that the BJP would extend its support to the latter in the State Council polls to be held in July next year.
After his meeting with Rane, Fadnavis confabulated with State BJP President Raosaheb Patil-Danve and decided to field lad as the ruling party candidate in the December 7 by-poll. Apparently happy with the BJP’s decision not to extend its support Rane’s possible candidature in the Council’s by-poll, the ruling Shiv Sena threw its lot with lad.
lad’s candidature came as a big disappointment for BJP’s senior functionary and State party’s spokesperson Madhav Bhandari who was expecting his party to field him as a candidate in the by-poll.
On its part, the Congress has fielded its former Solapur MlA Dilip Mane as its candidate. The Opposition NCP, Peasants’ and Workers’ Party, Samajwadi Party and Peoples’ Republican Party have extended its support to Rane’s candidature.
The electoral college for the December 7 State Council by-poll is the 288-member Maharashtra legislative Assembly, where the seat break-up of major political parties in the Assembly is as follows: BJP-122, Shiv Sena-63, Congress-42 and NCP- 41.
Meanwhile, Rane claimed that he would have won the State Council by-poll, even if the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena had come together and fought the election. “If the BJP had extended its support to my candidature, I would have ensured the split in the Shiv Sena votes. I would have won the by-poll even if the Sena were to oppose me formally. All the same, I have accepted whatever the decision (of fielding lad as its candidate) that the ruling BJP has taken,” Rane said.