Nilesh Rane
Credit: Facebook/@meNileshRane
Mumbai: In a surprising development in Maharashtra, senior BJP leader and union minister Narayan Rane’s son and former MP Nilesh Rane has decided to stay away from active politics.
Nilesh (42), the elder son of Rane, posted a message on X and announced his decision to step away from active politics.
However, neither Narayan Rane (71), a former Maharashtra CM and Union MSME Minister in the Modi government, nor his younger son Nitesh (41) had reacted to the development.
"I am stepping aside from active politics and there is no reason. I don't feel like ruling anymore. I have no interest in contesting the polls,” said Nilesh, who had earlier been a Congress MP from the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat in the coastal Konkan belt.
While Nilesh won the seat in 2009 on a Congress ticket, he lost the 2014 and 2019 elections from the same seat on both Congress and BJP tickets to Shiv Sena’s Vinayak Raut, who is part of the Uddhav Thackeray faction.
In view of the split in the Shiv Sena, two parallel groups have emerged in Konkan, and there are many aspirants for the seat and even some from the BJP have shown interest to run for elections from this seat.
"I learned a lot in politics and some colleagues have become a family forever. I will always be indebted to them in life," said Nilesh.
Asked about the development, Thackeray’s close aide and Mumbai South MP Arvind Sawant said, “It is his personal decision. What's there to comment on.”