Former Congress leader Narayan Rane in his statement to the press on Wednesday said that the Maharastra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has invited him to join the NDA.
Narayan Rane on Wednesday held a meeting with Fadnavis at his residence ‘Varsha’, after the meeting he said that he was invited to join the NDA, however, he has asked for 2 days time to give his reply. When questioned on why he needed time to give the answer Rane replied that he wanted to take all his decisions very carefully now.
Narayan Rane was originally a member of the Shiv Sena, which he quit to join Congress after his differences with Uddhav Thackeray grew. He also quit form Congress on 21 Sep as his demand of becoming the Chief Ministerial face was not given a heed by the party.
As per the latest updates, Rane on Sunday announced the formation of his own political party called the Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha.
Amidst the invitation to join NDA, there are speculations that after Rane joining hands with BJP, the tensions between Rane and Shiv Sena could grow. Shiv Sena is an ally of the BJP government in Maharashtra, but recently the party has been indicating its withdraw from the ruling government. In such circumstances, if Rane who was once a member of Shiv Sena, with his new party, join hands with BJP, the rift between Rane and Shiv Sena could increase.
Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson, Madhav Bhandari said that the alliance between BJP and Shiv Sena will not be affected if Rane joins hands with BJP.
At the launch of his party, Narayan Rane had said that everyone from any party are welcome to join the Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha if they wish to. He also clearly pointed out that apart from Uddhav Thackeray from Shive Sena and Prithvi Raj Chouhan from Congress, everybody is a friend. He had also announced that his son Nitish Rane who is currently an MLA of Congress party may soon join MSP.