Congress MLA Kalidas Kolambkar claims he has offers from BJP, Shiv Sena

Kolambkar is a close aide of former chief minister Narayan Rane, who has already moved out and formed his own party

For the past few days, there has been speculation about Congress legislator Kalidas Kolambkar moving to the BJP, ahead of the 2019 elections. Kolambkar is a close aide of former chief minister Narayan Rane, who has already moved out and formed his own party.

Kolambkar, who was once in Shiv Sena and defected to Congress along with Rane in 2005, said he was still undecided about his future. (HT File Photo)

The news gathered steam after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the Spring Mills Ganpati celebration organised by Kolambkar in Naiguam.

Kolambkar, who was once in Shiv Sena and defected to Congress along with Rane in 2005, said he was still undecided about his future.

“I have been invited by both, the BJP and the Sena to join them. Even the Congress is not keen to leave me,” said Kolambkar. “I will join the party which does work in my constituency.”

Though Kolambkar was expected to follow in the footsteps of Rane, after the latter quit Congress in September last year, the seven-term MLA is wary of his Muslim voters from the Sewri belt whose support helped him win in the 2014 Assembly polls by 800 votes. He thinks he will not be able to retain those votes if he switches over to the BJP.

Although the BJP would like to have him on board, there is resentment in the local party unit as they feel Kolambkar will only promote his loyalists at the cost of old BJP workers, just as he did in the Congress party.

Significantly, in recent times, Kolambkar “has not been very happy with Rane”.

“Kolambkar feels ignored despite being a loyalist and a senior legislator. Rane was unable to back him to become a minister in the Congress-led governments in which Rane held lucrative ministries,” said an aide of the legislator.