Narayan Rane, the former chief minister of Maharashtra, floated a political party called Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh on Sunday. He recently resigned from the Congress saying the party had not lived up its promises.

Rane, through his younger son and Congress MLA Nitesh Rane, was controlling Swabhiman Sanghatana, ostensibly an NGO for social development. It is this same NGO which is now being used as a launch pad for the new party.

On Sunday, Rane told mediapersons that he has just launched the party, and is waiting for some other leaders to join the party. After that, the next course of action would be decided.

Last week, amidst intense speculation in political circles, Rane had met BJP President Amit Shah in New Delhi. But it is understood that the BJP’s top leadership remained non-committal about Rane joining the party.

Rane, who is known for an aggressive style of leadership, started his career as a Shiv Sena party worker in Mumbai.

In 1999, when the Shiv Sena-BJP government was in power, Sena chief Bal Thackeray sacked Manohar Joshi and made Rane the chief minister. In mid-2005, Rane was sacked from Sena for criticising party president Uddhav Thackeray.

He joined Congress and continued until September 21, when he quit the grand old party over differences with Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan and unfulfilled promises by the party high command.

After Rane’s resignation his elder son and former Congress MP Nilesh Rane had also quit the party. However, Rane’s younger son and MLA Nitesh Rane continues to be in the Congress party.

When Rane announced his severing of ties with Congress at a press conference in his hometown Kudal in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, he had said that Nitesh would take a decision about his political future at an appropriate time.

Political commentator Nagesh Kesari said Rane’s decision to float a new political outfit will not have any major impact on any of the parties in the State, as he does not have a large support of MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly.

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