A Maharashtra minister’s claim that Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut was holding talks with a Congress leader to join the grand old party has set the tongues wagging in the political circles.
State minister and BJP MLA Nitesh Rane said Raut’s term in the Rajya Sabha is coming to an end, but the party does not have enough legislators to ensure his victory for another term.
"Raut should write in Saamana (mouthpiece of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party) about how long he is going to last in the Shiv Sena (UBT). He should write about the leader he is talking with in Delhi to join the Congress. He should also make a statement on this issue," Rane told reporters.
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The Sena (UBT) is an ally of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi which suffered a shocking defeat in the assembly elections held in November. The Uddhav Thackeray’s party managed to win only 20 seats in the 288-member assembly.
The ruling Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shinde's Shiv Sena and the NCP led by Ajit Pawar, won 230 seats.
Raut, a staunch critic of the BJP, had claimed that the “discord” between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde was affecting governance in Maharashtra.
Raut further claimed Shinde was yet to come to terms with the fact that he was not reinstated as the chief minister.
His remarks came in his weekly column Rokhthok in the Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamna' on Sunday.
