Mumbai, Nov 23 (PTI) Shiv Sena MLA Nilesh Rane has blamed Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan for the collapse of the Mahayuti alliance in Sindhudurg ahead of the December 2 municipal council and nagar panchayat elections.
Speaking on Friday during the campaign of the newly formed Shahar Vikas Aghadi in Sindhudurg, Nilesh, said the alliance had not broken due to BJP’s senior leadership but because of Chavan. Incidentally, Rane has had a history of strained ties with Chavan.
“A few days ago, I checked what exactly went wrong. It was understood that the reason for the alliance breaking in Sindhudurg was not the senior leadership, but BJP state president Ravindra Chavan. I do not know why he is angry with Sindhudurg. If in Ratnagiri, seats in Rajapur and Lanja could be adjusted with Shiv Sena, and similar adjustments were possible in Chiplun, then why this anger towards Sindhudurg,” Rane questioned.
“We were ready to give 10 seats in Malvan. In Sawantwadi, (Sena leader) Deepak Kesarkar was ready for a 50-50 formula. All of us had agreed to a 50-50 arrangement. In Kankavli, we were told we would have to contest only one or two seats. More importantly, our photos were removed from the banners. If they had removed only my photo, it was fine, but removing the photos of (Deputy Chief Minister and Sena head) Eknath Shinde hurt us,” Rane claimed.
Rane also questioned Chavan’s long stay in Sindhudurg district.
“The post of state BJP president is a big one, yet he stayed in Sindhudurg for three days. Why he stayed, I will say in the final stage. I will also reveal what was decided in his meetings,” Rane added.
Despite the differences, Shiv Sena attempted to keep the alliance intact, Nilesh Rane said, adding he has decided that whatever (senior BJP leader and father) Narayan Rane says will be acceptable to him.
“He told us not to wait anymore as days would be wasted. So we entered the field on our own strength. We have seen the work of Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Chandrakant Patil. They held the (state BJP president) post with dignity. The reasons why the alliance is not wanted are still unknown, and only Ravindra Chavan can explain that,” Rane asserted.
The Shahar Vikas Aghadi comprises the Shiv Sena as well as Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), which are part of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi.
Meanwhile, Nilesh’s younger brother and BJP minister Nitesh Rane attempted to play down the controversy.
“My brother did not take anyone’s name, so do not try to pit one person against another,” Nitesh Rane said.
Incidentally, Narayan Rane had a few days ago said he would ensure the brothers never have a fallout.
A couple of years ago, Nilesh Rane had abruptly announced his retirement from active politics, prompting Chavan, then the PWD minister, to rush to Sindhudurg to meet him.
Ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections, Nilesh Rane returned to contest from the Shiv Sena, while Nitesh Rane was elected on a BJP ticket and inducted as a minister.
Chavan and other BJP leaders have not responded to Nilesh Rane’s claims. PTI ND BNM
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