Sena leader Teli's proposal for local front in Sindhudurg without BJP irks Narayan Rane

BJP MP Narayan Rane on Saturday warned that the saffron party would sever ties with the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri if there was an attempt to isolate the BJP in the coming civic elections. The statement came after Rajan Teli, a former associate of Rane's who is now with the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, spoke of a proposal to form the ''City Development Front''. He had shared the idea with senior Sena leaders including MLA Nilesh Rane, Narayan Rane's son, he claimed.

Sources said Teli's initiative was aimed at uniting local leaders of both the Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP) under one banner to counter the Rane family's influence in Sindhudurg. The BJP's push to contest local body polls independently added to tensions within the ruling bloc, they said.

''I do not consider Teli an important person in the party. If something like this happens, we will snap the ties with the Shiv Sena in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri. This will not happen,'' Narayan Rane, a former Maharashtra chief minister, told reporters.

According to the sources, Teli does not get along with BJP minister and Sindhudurg guardian minister Nitesh Rane, Narayan Rane's another son.

Responding to Rane's warning, Shiv Sena leader from Ratnagiri and state industries minister Uday Samant said his party was prepared for a ''friendly fight''. ''We have considerably higher strength in Sindhudurg. How long should we wait for an alliance announcement? Out of three MLAs in the district, two are from Shiv Sena. If they are preparing for a friendly contest, so are we,'' Samant said.

The Rane family, notably, appears to be divided. While Nitesh Rane recently said he wanted a BJP leader to head the Sindhudurg zilla parishad, his brother and Shiv Sena MLA Nilesh declared at a public meeting that the post should go to a Shiv Sena nominee.

The senior Rane, however, sought to project unity. ''As long as I am alive, I will ensure there is no dispute in our family. We will find ways to form an alliance with the Shiv Sena ahead of the local polls,'' said Narayan Rane. There are three municipal councils in Sindhudurg district - Sawantwadi, vengurla and Malvan, besides a nagar panchayat Kankavli.

Elections to 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats in Maharashtra will be held on December 2.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vinayak Raut told PTI that his party will never ally with the rival Sena led by Eknath Shinde. ''I am not aware of a meeting among the local leaders over an alliance,'' he said.

But another Shiv Sena (UBT) leader who did not wish to be named said the possibility of an alliance of non-BJP parties against Nitesh Rane was being considered for Kankavli nagar panchayat and not the municipal councils.

Nitesh is the BJP MLA from Kankavli.

''Even Congress will join the local outfit which will fight the poll without a party symbol. Talks are in progress,'' he said.