Mumbai, Oct 22 (PTI) BJP leader Nilesh Rane on Tuesday said he will join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and contest from the Kudal assembly seat, while BJP leader Rajkumar Badole joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP ahead of the Maharashtra elections. While Rane and Badole crossed over to the BJP’s allies as part of seat-adjustment in the ruling coalition, the saffron party received a jolt in Navi Mumbai where its leader Sandeep Naik joined the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP).
Nilesh Rane is the son of BJP MP Narayan Rane. As per the seat-sharing arrangement of the Mahayuti alliance, Kudal constituency is with the Shiv Sena and hence he would switch from the BJP to the Sena, party sources said.
Vaibhav Naik of Shiv Sena (UBT), an old rival of the Ranes’, is the current MLA of Kudal which is part of Narayan Rane’s Lok Sabha constituency, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg.
Nilesh Rane, who was earlier with the Congress, was the MP from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg from 2009 to 2014. He joined the BJP in 2014 and lost the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
In Navi Mumbai, BJP leader and former MLA Sandeep Naik joined the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar). He is likely to contest from Belapur where the BJP has re-nominated sitting MLA Manda Mhatre, a local rival, sources said.
Sandeep’s father and former minister Ganesh Naik, who wields significant clout in Navi Mumbai, has been re-nominated by the BJP from Airoli constituency in the area.
According to sources, Sandeep Naik was unhappy over the denial of ticket by the BJP.
The old feud between the Naik family and BJP MLA Manda Mhatre traditionally divides the Belapur constituency which has a significant population of the Agri-Koli community.
Elsewhere, BJP leader and former Maharashtra minister Rajkumar Badole joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP which is part of the ruling coalition. He had won from Arjuni-Morgaon seat in 2009 and 2014 elections on BJP ticket.
The seat is currently with the NCP and it was felt that Badole had better prospects there, hence he switched over to the NCP, sources said.
Assembly elections will be held in Maharashtra on November 20. PTI VT COR NSK KRK
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