BJP fields Union Minister Narayan Rane from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday fielded Union minister Narayan Rane from the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Lok Sabha constituency in coastal Maharashtra.

Rane is pitted against Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Vinayak Raut, who is the sitting Lok Sabha member from this constituency.

Maharashtra Industries Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant’s brother Kiran Samant was keen on contesting this Lok Sabha seat. However, the BJP managed to get the seat for itself and fielded Rane. This seat has not been contested by the BJP earlier.

The BJP shares power in Maharashtra with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-helmed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as part of the ‘Mahayuti’ alliance.

The Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency, which covers two key coastal districts of Maharashtra, has traditionally been a bastion of the undivided Shiv Sena. After the party split in June 2022, Vinayak Raut supported the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction, which has now renominated him from the seat.

Rane’s elder son Nilesh Rane had won the 2009 Lok Sabha election in the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency when the Rane family was part of the Congress.