Maharashtra: Crisis defused, Nilesh Rane takes back resignation

Nilesh Rane flanked by Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis (right) and BJP MLA Ravindra Chavan

A day after he announced his retirement from active politics, Nilesh Rane, ex-MP son of senior Union minister Narayan Rane, withdrew the decision. Nilesh retracted after deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis intervened on Wednesday.

The retraction revealed that the sudden quitting was a tactical play to attract the BJP high command's attention to resolve the internal tussle between Nilesh and his party colleague Ravindra Chavan, the public works minister. The two met at Rane's residence Wednesday morning before travelling together to Fadnavis's official residence. Before the meetings, the BJP leadership discussed the matter with Narayan Rane. Sources said Fadnavis instructed the warring leaders against internal bickering ahead of the elections and work together in the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg area. Mid-day had reported that Nilesh and his family were upset because of the increasing interference of a senior BJP leader in their area of political interests and that the party was likely to convince the ex-MP to withdraw his retirement.

After the meeting, Chavan told reporters that the meeting was very positive. "We talked it out with Narayan Rane ji and Nilesh ji. And then met Devendra ji. We understood that something that happened earlier had led to this (the decision to retire). While working in the organisation, we all feel that small workers should not be met with injustice. And it was because of this stand that Nilesh Rane had taken the extreme step. We will reach out to the small workers to understand their issues," said Chavan.

"Nilesh Rane had taken the decision because he was angry. The BJP workers would not be subjected to any problem in the local body polls that are important to small workers. Nilesh Rane was upset because we had not considered the small workers' concerns. Henceforth, we all will look into the concerns raised by him. We will continue the party's blitzkrieg under the leadership of Dr Nilesh Rane," said Chavan while addressing the media persons. Nilesh, who accompanied Chavan, did not comment.

Nilesh represented the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency in 2009 as the Congress nominee. He lost two elections successively from there even as his father founded a party and later merged it with the BJP. His younger brother Nitesh is a BJP legislator from Kankavli in Sindhudurg. His father lost two Assembly elections while running on a Congress ticket before being sent to the Rajya Sabha by the BJP.