In the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly elections, Nilesh Rane, contesting from Kudal on a Shiv Sena ticket, has taken a commanding lead, surpassing his rival by more than 8,000 votes. The son of former Union Minister and ex-Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane, Nilesh Rane is vying for the seat in the coastal Konkan region. The vote counting, which began on November 23, follows the elections held on November 20, 2024.
Nilesh Rane, who previously served in the 15th Lok Sabha (2009-2014) representing the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency on a Congress ticket, made his political shift this year by joining the Eknath Shinde-led faction of Shiv Sena. In the 2014 elections, he contested from the same constituency but was defeated by Shiv Sena’s Vinayak Raut. Rane’s brother, Nitesh Narayan Rane, currently represents the Kankavli constituency in the Maharashtra Assembly.
The main challenge to Nilesh Rane’s bid comes from Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Vaibhav Naik, the incumbent MLA of Kudal. Naik, a prominent figure in Sindhudurg district, previously defeated Narayan Rane in the 2014 polls by over 10,000 votes and secured a decisive victory against independent candidate Ranjit Dattatray Desai in 2019 by a margin of more than 54,000 votes. Naik has focused his campaign on opposing the “dynasty politics” associated with the Rane family, aiming to rally local support against Nilesh Rane.
Kudal, located in Sindhudurg district, is part of the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Parliament seat and is one of the 288 constituencies in the Maharashtra Assembly. The contest here is a part of the larger battle between the Mahayuti alliance, which includes BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance consisting of Congress, NCP (SP), and Shiv Sena (UBT).
The election results are capturing intense attention, with the final outcome set to significantly impact Maharashtra’s political landscape.
