Mumbai: While political aspirants are in search of seats as well as parties, after the announcement of the election dates, BJP MP Narayan Rane is not on the lookout for a seat for himself but for his son Nilesh Rane.
Rane and his son Nilesh had gone to meet Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at his official residence on Sunday and talked for some 30 minutes. According to sources, the Ranes went to meet Devendra Fadnavis at his residence, after meeting Shinde. Nilesh is keen to contest the election from the Kudal-Malvan assembly constituency in Sindhudurg.
What Would Happen If Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde Agrees For It?
Currently, Shiv Sena (UBT ) MLA Vaibhav Naik is the sitting MLA from Kudal-Malvan. If Shinde agrees for the induction of Nilesh Rane in the Shiv Sena, there will be a direct fight between Nilesh Rane and Vaibhav Naik. Interestingly, BJP has declared the name of Nitesh Rane, Narayan Rane's youngest son, in the first list of candidates on Sunday. Nitesh will contest from the Kankavali constituency.
A few days ago, Uday Samant, Minister of Industries, had said Nilesh Rane would be welcome if wanted to join Shiv Sena. Sawantwadi MLA and School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar had echoed this, saying, “There is a tradition in Mahayuti to exchange candidates within the alliance; accordingly Nilesh will be adjusted if he joins Shiv Sena.”
Political analysts said that Nilesh is very aggressive, and clips of him during the scuffle between Sena (UBT) and BJP workers after the Shivaji Maharaj statue had fallen, had gone viral. The Opposition might create an issue of the incident during campaigning, therefore Shinde has to think hard before inducting him. It is not clear whether the BJP will exchange the KudalMalvan seat for Nilesh Rane or whether Shinde would have to sacrifice one more seat for the BJP.
