BMC polls: Rane puts Cong in a fix

Maharashtra Revenue Minister Narayan Rane has put the Congress in a catch-22 situation.

While he is providing the much-needed Marathi face to the Congress in Mumbai, Rane is also demanding his pound of flesh by seeking 40 seats for his supporters in the forthcoming elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The majority of Mumbai's Congress leaders are seen as non-Maharashtrian. While Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) President Gurudas Kamat is seen as a south Indian, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora is seen as representing Gujrati and other trading communities. Kripa Shankar Singh is seen as a leader of the north Indians.

Till Rane joined the Congress, the party had no leader of stature who could have claimed to represent Mumbai's working class Maharashtrians.

Rane, known as a street fighter, is seen as someone who can give the Shiv Sena a befitting reply when it comes to threats and intimidation, and also split its Marathi vote bank.

However, he is claiming a large number of seats in Marathi-dominated areas. These are Dadar, Naigaon, Parel, Lalbuag, Andheri West, Goregaon, Dahisar, Chembur, Bhandup and Mulund.

Rane is also trying to ensure that at least 20 Sena corporators join the Congress at party president Sonia Gandhi's rally on December 23. He has got cold response from MRCC chief Kamat so far.

A source in the MRCC said, "Kamat is not against these corporators joining the Congress, but he doesn't want to send a signal that these seats will be given to Rane supporters and not to genuine Congress workers, that too just one-and-a-half months before the elections."

"The leadership will need to do a tight ropewalk to accommodate Rane's supporters as out of 227 seats, it may have to leave 60 for the NCP and 5 to 10 for various Republican Party of India (RPI) factions," observed a minister in the state Cabinet who belongs to Mumbai.

"After accommodating Rane, NCP and RPI, around 130 seats up for grabs will see a tussle between Kamat, Deora, MPs Eknath Gaikwad and Priya Dutt, and MLAs and other MPs of the Congress from the city," he added.