35 of 56 Shiv Sena MLAs in Maharashtra dissatisfied, claims BJP MP Narayan Rane

MUMBAI: Even as Uddhav Thackeray's coalition government in Maharashtra seeks to hold onto the balance between three ideologically opposed political parties, BJP MP Narayan Rane has claimed that 35 of 56 Sena MLAs are dissatisfied with the party leadership.

Talking to reporters in Thane, Narayan Rane, currently a Rajya Sabha MP from BJP, dubbed the Uddhav Thackeray-led dispensation as "non-performing", saying the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress took more than five weeks to form government in the state.

On the other hand Congress leader and Maharashtra Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat said on Thursday that he had told CM Uddhav Thackeray that he did not want the post of guardian minister of Kalhapur.

Narayan Rane has also expressed confidence that the BJP will return to power in Maharashtra. Earlier, MLA Abdul Sattar was also rumoured to have quit after being allotted a junior ministry.

"The BJP has 105 MLAs and Shiv Sena only 56 and of them also 35 are dissatisfied," Rane has claimed.

Narayan Rane also said that Thackeray government's promise of loan waiver for farmers is "hollow" as there is no timeline on when it will be implemented.

Referring to Chief Minister Thackeray's visit to Aurangabad on Thursday, Rane said he came back without announcing any plans or giving any funds to the region.

"What we can expect from such a government? They don't know anything about running the government. They took five weeks to form the government, from this one can expect how they will run the show," he said.

Refusing to comment on speculations of a tie-up between the BJP and Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Rane said only the BJP chief will speak on it.