The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced Union minister Narayan Rane as its candidate for the Ratnagiri Sindhudurg constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Rane will file his nomination on April 19.
Vinayak Raut of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), who is the incumbent MP from the seat, has been renominated by party for the election.
Earlier, there were discussions within the Eknath Shinde camp regarding the candidate for the seat, with Kiran Samant, brother of Industries minister Uday Samant, expressing interest in contesting. However, after several meetings with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the BJP ultimately decided to nominate Rane.
While this decision may cause some consternation within the Samant family, which has roots in the Ratnagiri district, they have declared their support for Rane.
The Konkan belt, including the Ratnagiri Sindhudurg area, has traditionally been a stronghold for the Shiv Sena (UBT), with prominent leaders and functionaries from the region. Vinayak Raut has been campaigning with the support of the Thackeray family.
Narayan Rane, who earlier worked in the income tax department, began his political journey with the Shiv Sena, where he started as a dedicated member and rose through the ranks. He served in various capacities, including as an MLA and as a minister in the state government.
He contested the BMC polls and became a corporator and later the chairman of the BEST committee. In 1991, he was elected as an MLA from Sindhudurg, and in 1995, he was appointed as the dairy development minister. He later became the revenue minister, and in 1999, Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray appointed him as the Chief Minister.
After the Shiv Sena lost power, Rane became the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly. However, differences with Uddhav Thackeray led him to switch allegiances to the Congress party. When he had differences with the Congress leadership, he resigned as industries minister in 2014 and contested the assembly polls. He lost both the assembly as well as the Bandra East constituency bypoll. In 2016, the Congress party appointed him as an MLC.
Subsequently, he formed his own political outfit, the Maharashtra Swabhiman Party, before ultimately merging it with the BJP in 2017. In July 2021, Rane was appointed as a Union minister.