Nitesh will contest Maha polls on BJP ticket, says Narayan Rane

Mumbai: The suspense over the candidature of former Congress MLA Nitesh Rane from Kankavli constituency continues, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is yet to announce its second list of candidates. However, his father and former chief minister Narayan Rane  on Wednesday said his son will contest the upcoming Vidhan Sabha polls from Kankavli on BJP’s ticket.

The senior Rane claimed Nitesh’s name will figure in the second list of the BJP. Nitesh Rane had won the 2014 Assembly polls from Kankavli seat in Sindhudurg district on Congress’ ticket by defeating the then BJP MLA Pramod Jathar.

“Nitesh’s name will figure in the second list and he will contest from Kankavli,” Narayan  Rane said. On speculations of merging his Maharashtra Swabhi-man Party with the BJP, he said, “It is likely to happen in a week’s time.”

According to reports, the BJP has decided to field Nitesh from the Kankavli seat despite strong resistance from its ally Shiv Sena. Sources claimed that Nitesh, who is not even a BJP member yet, has been given an AB form, which authorises a candidate to contest election as a party candidate.

Nitesh too created a flutter by his tweet, “Only few hours left. A lull before the storm.”

The ruling BJP on Tuesday declared its first list of 125 candidates for the October 21 state polls, including names of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and state unit president Chandrakant Patil, but high-profile figures Eknath Khadse and Vinod Tawde missing from it.

The former state chief minister was earlier in the Shiv Sena, which he quit in 2005 and joined the Congress. He remained with the Congress till 2017.