Raosaheb Danve hints at berth for Narayan Rane in state cabinet

Nagpur: Even as a united Opposition in the state Legislature and the Shiv Sena succeeded in shattering Narayan Rane’s dreams of entering the Legislative Council, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Raosaheb Danve on Thursday indicated that the former Congress leader would be inducted into the Devendra Fadnavis-led state government.      

Mr Rane, who has floated his own party, will get a berth in the forthcoming Cabinet reshuffle, which will take place only after the ensuing Winter Session of the state Legislature. The session will commence in Nagpur from December 11 and end on December 22. To a query, Mr Danve dismissed any resentment in Shiv Sena over Mr Rane’s induction.

The BJP and the Sena have been alliance partners for the past 25 years and there are no differences between the two, said Mr Danve.

He said that his party has been number one in the state, and the election results right from the 2014 Lok Sabha polls to the state Assembly elections in October that year —and all subsequent polls to date — bear this out.

“However, instead of being complacent and overconfident, we have begun preparations for the 2019 state and general elections slated,” Mr Danve said on the sidelines of meetings with party functionaries from the six districts of Nagpur division. He added that the task at hand is to set up a team of 25 booth-level workers for each Assembly constituency.

“There are 91,000 booths spread across 288 constituencies and we have completed 70 per cent of this work. The remaining booths will be covered in the next three months,” he added.  Asked if this hurry and extra caution was indicative of panic that has set in looking to the poll situation in Gujarat, Mr Danve said, “Far from it. The BJP is winning comfortably in Gujarat and we are only trying to consolidate our already strong position in Maharashtra.”