Though Rane was not available for comment, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray reportedly asked the Chief Minister not to bow to pressure from either the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Congress-led Opposition.

A senior Shiv Sena minister said when the party is already in a crisis, with dissidents led by dismissed ministers Ganesh Naik, Suresh Nawale and Gulabrao Gawande, having stepped up their activities, it will not be advisable to sack Gholap. ``We feel that if Gholap is sacked, he will join hands with the Naik-Gawande-Nawale trio, which will be disastrous for the Shiv Sena, particularly when the Assembly elections are around the corner,'' the Minister said.

However, the BJP has taken a different view of the issue. A BJP Minister remarked that instead of Thackeray asking him to quit, Gholap should himselfresign, keeping in mind the larger interest of the government. ``If he does not resign on his own, the Chief Minister should divest him of his portfolio,'' the Minister added.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau has filed a criminal case against Gholap under the Prevention of Corruption Act on the basis a complaint filed by a Janata Dal activist. The complainant has alleged that following Gholap's directives, two corporations under his department illegally deposited Rs 4 crore in the Awami Cooperative Bank, which is under liquidation. Gholap's involvement in the case had figured during the winter session of the State Legislature.

Gholap has been entrusted with the task of overseeing the party's one-day convention at Nashik on February 27. Apart from Chief Minister Narayan Rane and former chief minister Manohar Joshi, the meeting will be addressed by Bal Thackeray and his son Uddhav.

Corruption charges have dogged Gholap ever since he was inducted into the Cabinet three years ago. Veteran anti-corruption crusaderAnna Hazare had lodged a complaint against him, prompting Gholap to file a criminal suit against the former. The court upheld Gholap's contention and sentenced Hazare to a month's simple imprisonment.