Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis: Former Congress leader Narayan Rane joins NDA

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on 17 October announced that former Congress leader, Narayan Rane has joined National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

He also said that the party will also expand the cabinet soon.

"We'll have a cabinet expansion soon. Narayan Rane has joined NDA, we will think about him what should be done," Fadnavis said.

On 1 October, Rane had announced that he will form a new party, which will be called 'Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh'.

Rane's decision of forming a new party came after he quit the Congress last week and met Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah in New Delhi amid speculation that he will join the saffron party.

A former chief minister during the Shiv Sena-BJP government, Rane defected to Congress in 2005 after criticising Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray's son and political heir Uddhav.

He was a minister in successive Congress governments till 2014 when the party lost power to the BJP.

Rane lost the last Assembly elections in 2014 and a by-poll in Mumbai's Bandra.

He quit the party after state leadership dissolved the Sindhudurg unit dominated by his supporters. 

-ANI