Took over from Manohar Joshi. In one year, he worked tirelessly and rejuvenated the party and improved relations with its ally, the BJP. However, it was not enough to retain power in the 1999 election though the Sena-BJP alliance came quite close to doing so.
Mercifully, the red eyes and large eye-bags he earned were not entirely in vain as the Congress-NCP was wiped out from his native Konkan region.
Has been the leader of the opposition in the assembly. He is brash, has the experience, shown the necessary results but knows it is not enough to get another stint as chief minister. Is perceived as being close to Raj Thackeray who is believed to be trying to emerge as an alternative power centre in the party.
The interesting question is, since Raj Thackeray has also expressed a desire to be the chief minister, what happens to Rane? Will he work just as hard to repeat the Sena's 1999 performance in Konkan?
Also Read: Extraordinary journey