Friday, November 4 2005 18:34 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Three Shiv Sena MLAs owing allegiance to Revenue Minister and former Sena leader Narayan Rane resigned from Assembly today (Nov 4, 2005) and within hours were inducted into Congress.

The three have joined Congress without any pre-conditions, MPCC chief Prabha Rau told reporters at the party office in south Mumbai.

"But it is natural that the party would be willing to give them the tickets when a by-poll in their constituencies is held," she added.

Earlier, the three met Assembly speaker Babasaheb Kupekar and submitted their resignations. The three, Subhash Bane, Shankar Kambli and Ganpat Kadam were elected last year from Sangmeshwar, Vengurla and Rajapur assembly constituencies on Sena tickets.

Kupekar told sources that he had accepted their resignations.

Rane told reporters here after the three leaders submitted their resignations that they had also sent letters to Sena chief Bal Thackeray, stating that they were resigning from the Sena.

Seven more Sena MLAs would resign before next month's winter session of legislature, he added.

With these resignations, the Sena strength in the 288-member Assembly has come down to 59. Sena's poll ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 54 members in the lower House.

During the monsoon session, BJP group leader in Assembly Gopinath Munde had staked his claim for the Leader of Opposition's post in Assembly but the post later went to Sena's Ramdas Kadam.

Rane said he would 'decide what to do with Ramdas Kadam's occupying the post of Opposition leader'.

Kiran Wadiwkar, who was earlier secretary in charge of media at the Shiv Sena office, also joined Congress today.

Bhaskar Vichare, a Sena UPA Ibhagpramukh in suburban Bhandup also joined the Congress.

Asked about the situation in Malvan assembly constituency where he is Congress nominee for the November 19 by-poll, Rane said he was confident of victory.

The Sena candidate Parshuram Uparkar would not be able to salvage his deposit, he added.

Rane said during the last four assembly polls he won from Malvan, he had been there only to file his nomination papers and later, at the time of counting of votes.

Asked why this time he was there a month before the polling began, Rane said,'There are no other elections in the state. If I am not there, it will be the insult of voters'.