A triumphant Maharashtra Revenue Minister Narayan Rane, fresh from the drubbing he gave his former party Shiv Sena in the Malwan assembly by-poll, returned to Mumbai Wednesday evening.
Hundreds of his supporters gathered outside the domestic airport to welcome their leader, who crushed the Sena nominee by over 63,000 votes in the by-poll, results of which were announced Tuesday.
After arrival at the airport, Rane drove to his private residence at suburban Bandra where he was busy accepting greetings and bouquets from well-wishers, a staffer at the Bandra home said.
Rane is expected to leave for Delhi Thursday, the staffer said.
Asked if Rane would be meeting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and invite her to visit Malwan for a thanks-giving rally, the staffer declined to comment.