‘As early as possible, by March’: Narayan Rane says BJP will be in power in Maharashtra

There are certain things that cannot be revealed, the Union minister and BJP leader said.

Union minister Narayan Rane has said that Maharashtra would have a new, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government by March next year, adding that things should be kept ‘secret’ to trigger the collapse of an incumbent government.

Union minister Narayan Rane (File Photo/PTI)

“As early as possible, by March, the BJP will come to power in Maharashtra,” news agency ANI quoted Rane as saying, in Jaipur, on Thursday.

When questioned by media persons how he can be so sure, the BJP leader said, “There are certain things that I cannot reveal. If a government is to be removed or a new one is to be formed, then few things should be kept secret.”

The ruling MVA coalition in Maharashtra comprises the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress. Now-former allies, the BJP and Sena, which governed the western state together between 2014 and 2019, won a re-election two years ago. However, difference over several issues, including who gets the chief minister’s chair, led to a split between the two, with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party joining hands with the NCP and the Congress.

While Thackeray heads the alliance as the chief minister, the BJP is still the single-largest as well as principal opposition party in Maharashtra. Devendra Fadnavis, Thackeray’s predecessor, is the Leader of Opposition.

The Aghadi allies have frequently accused the BJP of trying to bring down their government though they also assert that the ruling dispensation will complete its full five-year term.