GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 3rd June. Maharashtra MLA Ravi Rana, an independent lawmaker and husband of outgoing Amravati MP Navneet Rana, who is among the BJP’s newest recruits, began his week with a bold prediction. Mr. Rana claimed that ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, a staunch BJP ally until post-2019 power-sharing disputes drove a wedge between his Shiv Sena (then undivided) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, will rejoin the BJP by June 20.
“I can confidently say… 15 days after Modiji becomes Prime Minister again, Uddhav Thackeray will be seen in the Modi government and with Modiji. The coming era is of Modiji and Uddhav Thackeray knows this. It is Narendra Modiji who is taking the ideas of Balasaheb Thackeray forward,” Rana declared. He also took a swipe at the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) formed by Thackeray’s Sena, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, and the Congress, advising them to “keep blood pressure medicines and doctors with them… as many of them will fall sick on June 4.”
The MVA was formed after the BJP-Sena split in 2019, preventing the BJP from retaining power in Maharashtra until a rebel Sena unit, led by current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, brought down the MVA government. Rana’s prediction was dismissed by Sanjay Raut, a close aide of Thackeray, who stated, “Uddhav Thackeray has been leading the Shiv Sena for 25 years. (After the election) Uddhav Thackeray will decide.” He added that “a person like Ravi Rana has no right to speak on Uddhav Thackeray.”
The relationship between Thackeray and Modi, once strong allies, has significantly deteriorated since the fallout after the 2019 elections. Recently, Thackeray even apologized for supporting and seeking votes for Modi, accusing his government of betraying Maharashtra. “I apologize for seeking votes for Narendra Modi (in the past) because his government has betrayed Maharashtra,” Thackeray told reporters.
Despite the strained relations, Modi appears open to a reconciliation. He recently urged the Uddhav Thackeray- and Sharad Pawar-led Sena and NCP factions to merge with their breakaway units rather than aligning with the Congress. “Instead of dying by merging with the Congress, come to Ajit Pawar (the rebel NCP leader) and Eknath Shinde (the head of the Sena splinter unit),” he said, also expressing readiness to support Thackeray, citing the “love and affection of Balasaheb Thackeray (Uddhav’s late father and Sena patriarch) towards me.”
Rana’s prediction has found cautious support from Union Social Justice Minister Ramdas Athawale, who told ANI that “what Ravi Rana said can turn out to be true in the time to come.” He emphasized that “anything is possible in politics” and that Thackeray would be welcomed back to the BJP fold.
Rana also expressed confidence in his wife’s re-election prospects, predicting that Navneet Rana will retain her Lok Sabha seat due to strong voter support.
The Ranas were involved in a high-profile row with Thackeray in 2022 over threats to recite the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ outside the then-Chief Minister’s residence, which led to their arrest. Their legal battles continue, with a Mumbai court recently rejecting their plea for discharge in a related matter.
Meanwhile, exit polls suggest a strong showing for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats. Multiple exit polls predict the NDA winning between 24 and 32 seats, with the MVA expected to win at most 25 seats.
Nationally, all 12 exit polls forecast a third consecutive term for Modi’s BJP, with projections exceeding the 272-seat majority mark, and some even predicting over 400 seats for the party.
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