## BJP Names Narayan Rane as Candidate for Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced Union Minister Narayan Rane as its candidate for the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency in Maharashtra's upcoming Lok Sabha elections. This announcement was made on Thursday, April 6, 2024, as part of the party's 13th list of nominees.
Rane, currently serving as the Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, previously held a seat in the Rajya Sabha as a BJP member until April 3, 2024. Prior to joining the BJP in 2019, he was a member of the Congress party and later launched his own party, the Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha.
Despite interest from Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena members Kiran Samant and Ravindra Samant, the BJP opted to nominate Rane for the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat. Rane has expressed confidence in securing the seat with a significant margin of over 200,000 votes.
The Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency, encompassing six state Assembly seats, holds strategic importance in dominating the Konkan region. It was formed through a de-limitation exercise in 2008 by merging the former Ratnagiri and Rajapur Lok Sabha seats.
Historically, the electoral landscape of Konkan was dominated by the Congress and socialist parties. However, in recent years, the Shiv Sena has emerged as a strong contender, with Vinayak Raut winning the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat in both the 2014 and 2019 elections.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition has nominated incumbent MP Vinayak Raut as its candidate for the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat. The last date for filing nominations is April 19, with the 11 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra going to polls in Phase 3 on May 7. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.