(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Over-ambitious leader from Konkan faces defeat despite trying to join hands with other parties.
For Narayan Rane the over-ambitious politician from Konkan his defeat at the hands of a Shiv Sena rival must have been the most humiliating experience of his political career.
A former chief minister of the state — he occupied the post for a short time when he was the blue-eyed boy of Shiv Sena’s late founder Bal Thackeray — Rane’s career graph has seen several ups and downs.
But Sunday’s election results when he lost the Kudal seat to a Shiv Sena candidate by 9000 votes must have been the most depressing moment for Rane. The politician from Konkan came to Mumbai in the 1960s and within a few years emerged as a powerful leader in the Shiv Sena.
His street smart strategies — he could rustle up a gang of thousands of youngsters in support of Thackeray — brought him to the notice of the Sena founder. And when the Shiv Sena-BJP government faced a crisis in the 1990s resulting in the eviction of Manohar Joshi as chief minister Thackeray decided to anoint Rane as the chief minister.
As chief minister his tenure was short and the ambitious leader’s dreams of winning re-election were shattered after the Congress-NCP won the 1999 elections. But soon Rane was unhappy in the Sena and differences with the leadership including Thackeray’s son Uddhav who was in the ascendancy in the party saw him switch over loyalties to Congress.
At a time when the Congress was having problems with its coalition partner the Nationalist Congress Party Rane assured the party leadership that he could manage to curb Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit if he were made the chief minister.
The Congress which changed several chief ministers in Maharashtra since 1999 however never elevated Rane to the top post mainly because of opposition from its entrenched leaders from western Maharashtra.
Rane was seen as an outsider and did not enjoy support within the party. Yet he has always been in the race for the top post. Several times he criticised the party and made efforts to join hands with other parties. A former popular leader in the Konkan finally met his Waterloo in the current state assembly elections.
In contrast Prithviraj Chavan the former chief minister of the state won handsomely from Karad South constituency. Like Rane Chavan too was an outsider and lacked support of local Congress and NCP leaders in Maharashtra when he was made chief minister by the party high command.
Chavan was never in active politics in Maharashtra having served time as a minister in the UPA government in Delhi. His tenure as chief minister was marked with frequent battles with the NCP and even other leaders. Not many believed he would win elections from Karad but Chavan proved his credentials on Sunday.
Ajit Pawar the controversial nephew of Sharad Pawar the NCP supremo also managed to retain his seat from Baramati the pocket borough of the Pawar’s. Many believe that the growing disenchantment of the electorate with the NCP in Maharashtra was because of Ajit’s rough and tough ways and the alleged corruption practices indulged in by him. But Pawar managed to win Baramati despite the BJP focusing its resources on the constituency.
Devendra Fadnavis the young BJP leader from BJP — and the party’s likely chief ministerial candidate — also won from Nagpur on Sunday. -nithinkhaleejtimes.com
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