Nagpur: BJP member and former Amravati MP Navneet Rana on Tuesday revealed that she turned down a Rajya Sabha nomination offer from Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and her son Parth, as the offer was conditional on her joining the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar. Rana further stated that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had asked her to meet Pawar and request that the seat be ceded to the BJP, but that proposal also fell through.
Rana's Statement on Social Media
In a post on X, Rana expressed gratitude to the Pawars for the Rajya Sabha nomination offer but explained why she had to refuse it. "Being a BJP loyalist, I could not accept the condition of joining the NCP to get the Rajya Sabha nomination. On the CM's suggestion, I met Sunetra tai and requested that the Rajya Sabha seat be given to the BJP, but due to unavoidable reasons, that was not possible," she wrote.
Rana added that her work continues under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Chief Minister Fadnavis. "I will not change my ideology for any post. I will continue to work sincerely for the BJP," she asserted.
Background of the Rajya Sabha Seat
The seat in question is the one vacated by Sunetra Pawar when she was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister in January, following the death of her husband, Ajit Pawar. Currently, NCP's Rajendra Jain has filed nomination papers for the seat, with support from all Mahayuti allies.
Reaction from BJP Leaders
On Rana's decision not to quit the BJP over a seat, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the party holds her in high regard. "Rana is very hardworking and a Hindutvavadi, recognized across the country. The position she has taken is important and the right one," Bawankule stated.
The Rana episode unfolded against the backdrop of a tug-of-war within the Mahayuti over the state finance portfolio, which the NCP has been pressing Fadnavis to hand over, as it originally belonged to the late Ajit Pawar. After Ajit's death, CM Fadnavis has been handling the portfolio. While Sunetra Pawar was sworn in within days of Ajit's death, she was given excise, sports, minority development, and Waqf portfolios, with finance and planning remaining with the CM.
Finance Portfolio Tussle Downplayed
Bawankule played down any tussle within the Mahayuti over the finance department. "Our three Mahayuti faces—Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, and Pawar—will sit and decide. We do not want to do any injustice to the NCP; a right decision will certainly be taken," he said.
