A day after BJP’s Amravati candidate Navneet Rana claimed there was no “Modi wave”, both the NCP led by Sharad Pawar and the Shiv Sena (UBT) echoed her sentiment on Tuesday and said she was speaking the truth as is evident in the desperation displayed by the BJP in inducting Opposition leaders into its fold.

Rana’s made this statement during a rally in her Amravati constituency, stressing the need for a grassroots approach to the election, dismissing any illusions of a Modi-centric sway.

“We will have to fight this election as if it were a gram panchayat election. We will have to bring all the voters to the booth by 12 noon and tell them to vote. Don’t remain under the illusion that there is a Modi wave,” Rana said.

Her confidence stems from her victory in the 2019 elections as an Independent, supported by the unified NCP, before being fielded by the BJP this time around.

The NCP (SP) spokesperson, Mahesh Tapase, concurred with Rana”s assessment, adding that her words reflected reality, even acknowledged tacitly by BJP MPs.

“Whatever Rana has spoken is just the fact. She knows it and the BJP MPs know it. The BJP itself knows there is no Modi wave. And this is reflected in the way the party had gone all-out roping in one Opposition leader after the other. It has imported even those leaders whom it had accused of corruption. It had no alternative because it saw in those leaders the potential to win elections,” Tapase said.

He claimed that there was panic in the BJP ranks and therefore they are asking their cadre to fight the Lok Sabha elections 2024 like the gram panchayat ones.

Sanjay Raut, spokesperson for Shiv Sena (UBT), went further, questioning not just the existence of a Modi wave but also whether Modi himself could secure his seat.

“Our party chief Uddhav Thackeray has already said the BJP will get only 45 seats all over the country and Maha Vikas Aghadi will win all 48 seats in Maharashtra. Even the BJP’s own candidates are already speaking the truth and that too openly and loud and clear,” he added.

Navneet Rana Rise To Fame

Navneet Rana, a 38-year-old former actress turned politician, catapulted into the limelight in April 2022, when, backed by her husband MLA Ravi Rana, she echoed Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray”s call to curb the use of loudspeakers in mosques during the dawn call to prayer, known as azaan.

The Ranas spearheaded a campaign in Amravati, distributing loudspeakers and urging individuals to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside mosques. Their protest extended to criticizing then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray”s perceived departure from Hindutva principles by aligning with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in previous years.

Despite police denying them permission, they clashed with Shiv Sena supporters outside Matoshree, resulting in their arrest and subsequent 14-day custody. Despite the setback, the incident elevated their profile, catching the attention of the BJP, which saw in Navneet an ally in advancing the Hindutva cause and exerting pressure on Uddhav Thackeray.

Navneet”s political journey began when her MLA husband fielded her as an NCP candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, where she fell short of victory but garnered substantial support. Subsequently, they opted for an independent route with the backing of the NCP and Congress in 2019, strategically targeting Muslim-Dalit constituencies, resulting in her electoral triumph over the incumbent MP Anandrao Adsul by 36,951 votes.

Following the 2019 elections, Navneet aligned herself with the BJP, leveraging the party”s resurgence to further her political ambitions.