Narayan Rane to announce his stand on staying with Congress in 2 days

Mumbai: Speculations are rife in political circles that Maharashtra Industries Minister Narayan Rane is quitting Congress.

Rane, who has made his displeasure known several times over the functioning of the state Congress leadership, is extremely upset since his son Nilesh lost from Ratnagiri- Sindhudurg Lok Sabha seat to Shiv Sena.

He stayed away from Cabinet meetings as well since Congress suffered a massive defeat, bagging only 2 out of total 27 seats it had contested in Maharashtra.

Rane has blamed Congress's alliance partner, the NCP for conspiring to defeat Congress candidates. He had tendered his resignation from the Cabinet on the day results were declared but Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan turned it down.

On the issue of leadership change after the defeat, Rane had said that he would discuss the issue with the party workers and make his stand known.

During the campaign, Rane had lamented that the Congress had not utilised his services properly.

According to sources, Rane, who is sulking, is likely to announce his stand in two days. "He has kept quiet for three years but not any more," sources close to him said.

Rane, who had quit Shiv Sena in 2005 to join Congress, was inducted as minister in the Vilasrao Deshmukh government.

Sources close to the former Shiv Sainik claimed that he had been promised chief ministership, but the Congress leadership had denied that Rane's entry into the party was conditional.

Rane had served as chief minister for nine months while in Shiv Sena in 1999 when the NDA government was at helm in Maharashtra.