NCP chief Sharad Pawar is also expected to go to Mumbai for consultations with state party leaders. Pawar has been authorized by the NCP legislature party to name its leader to succeed R R Patil as the next deputy chief minister.

Maharashtra was minus a Chief Minister on Wednesday night after the Congress leadership accepted the resignation of Vilasrao Deshmukh but delayed a decision on his replacement.

Congress sources indicated that Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Minister of State in PMO Prithviraj Chavan, who had earlier been considered serious contenders, were more or less out of the race as the party wanted a leader active in the state for the top job.

Rane, the sources said, was the front runner since he also had the blessings of Sharad Pawar, chief of ally NCP. Deshmukh and Rane have had a running battle with the latter sniping at the CM openly, even seeking his removal.

It is learnt that the NCP was agreeable to Shinde as CM but the Congress wanted a Maratha leader.

Prithviraj Chavan was not acceptable to the NCP since he comes from Karad in the NCP bastion of western Maharashtra and the party views him as a threat. The NCP also considers Ashok Chavan “too junior”.