Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | UBT leader demands Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg re-poll, new ‘Thackeray vs Rane’ battle

MUMBAI: In a fresh clash between the Thackerays and Rane factions, Shiv Sena leader Vinayak Raut, who lost the Lok Sabha elections in the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituency in Maharashtra’s coastal Konkan region, has alleged that BJP’s Narayan Rane, who won the election, used fraudulent and illegal tactics and called for a re-election.

Rane, who was a Union minister then, defeated Raut, a two-term incumbent MP who is considered close to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aditya Thackeray.

Raut, through the law firm Asim Sarod and Associates, has sent a notice to the Election Commission of India.

Sarode has alleged “large-scale manipulation, unfair and corrupt practices” and has sought a response within a week.

“Our client (Raut) is in possession of a video which shows that Narayan Rane’s employees were trying to bribe and intimidate voters of Ratnagiri Sindhudurg,” the notice said.

The notice also mentioned the name of Rane’s younger son and MLA Nitesh Rane, who had told village heads in his constituency to allocate funds based on the number of votes they had cast in their favour.

The notice also stated that Raut had already sent a letter of complaint to the Maharashtra Chief Election Officer on May 16 listing instances of violation of the code of conduct.

According to the complaint filed by Sarode and his team, one of the videos showed BJP activists bribing voters.