Union minister Narayan Rane was on Tuesday leading from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat in Maharashtra during the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections.
According to the Election Commission of India, the BJP leader was leading Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Vinayak Raut by 56,423 votes.
Lok Sabha Election Results LIVE Coverage
Rane, 72, started his political career with the Shiv Sena. He contested the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections and became a corporator, before being elevated as the chairperson of the BEST committee.
In 1991, Rane was elected an MLA from Sindhudurg and was appointed as the dairy development minister in the Manohar Joshi-led BJP-Shiv Sena government in 1995.
He later became the revenue minister, and in 1999, Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray appointed him as the chief minister.
After the Shiv Sena lost power in 1999, Narayan Rane became the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly. However, due to differences with Uddhav Thackeray, he switched to the Congress party with a handful of MLAs.
Maharashtra Lok Sabha Election Results LIVE Updates
The Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) is leading on 28 out of 48 seats in the state. The BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP are leading on 12, 6 and one seats respectively.
The results are crucial for both the ruling Mahayuti and opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) as the western state sends 48 members to the Lok Sabha, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh, which elects 80 MPs.
In the 2019 general election, the BJP won 23 seats in Maharashtra and its then ally Shiv Sena (undivided) bagged 18. The then undivided NCP had bagged four constituencies, whereas the Congress could win just one seat.
{{/usCountry}}In the 2019 general election, the BJP won 23 seats in Maharashtra and its then ally Shiv Sena (undivided) bagged 18. The then undivided NCP had bagged four constituencies, whereas the Congress could win just one seat.
{{/usCountry}}The elections in 2024 were fought in a changed political landscape after splits in the Shiv Sena and NCP following rebellions by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar.