Maharashtra Lok Sabha election 2024: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Union Minister Narayan Rane as its candidate from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Lok Sabha constituency which falls in Maharashtra's Konkan region.
In Maharashtra, the BJP is contesting elections under the MahaYuti alliance with members Shiv Sena-Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party-Ajit Pawar.
Rane's nomination was declared a day ahead of the last date of nomination which falls on April 19. The polling is slated for May 7.
Maharashtra, which has a total of 48 Lok Sabha seats, will be voting in the first five phases.
Rane is pitted against the Shiv Sena UBT nominee and sitting MP, Vinayak Raut.
Incidentally, CM Eknath Shinde, who is the chief leader of Shiv Sena, had staked the party's claim but could not get it.
Shiv Sena Minister Uday Samant's brother Kiran Samant, who had started a campaign and stepped up outreach with voters in the last six months, was keen to contest the seat.
Rane's term in the Rajya Sabha had ended recently as he was not renominated again though he was tipped off for candidature in the Lok Sabha polls from Ratnagiri Sindhudurg.
He had already held party meetings in the constituency and visited almost six Assembly segments. Rane is expected to seek votes riding on the Modi wave and also on the MahaYuti's strength in the Konkan region.
On the other hand, Shiv Sena UBT nominee Vinayak Raut, whose nomination was announced a couple of days ago, had completed at least two rounds of outreach with voters in the absence of the declaration of the MahaYuti nominee.
With inputs from IANS
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