Mumbai: Konkan region was once a stronghold of Shiv Sena, which was born in Mumbai and then expanded into the Konkan. Many who work in Mumbai, hail from the Konkan and still have ties to their native villages.
The prestige battle between the two Senas was expected to play out in this coastal region.
However, Shiv Sena (UBT) suffered a humiliating setback in the region, winning only one of the 15 seats in the Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg belt. During Lok Sabha polls too, Shiv Sena (UBT) lost both seats in the region.
In Sindhudurg, the two sons of former Shiv Sainik Nararayan Rane won their seats. Union MSME minister Narayan Rane had split from Thackeray’s party in 2005. He is now with the BJP and had won the Lok Sabha seat from Sindhudurg.
In this election his son Nitesh Rane won his seat from Kankavli. Rane’s other son Nilesh Rane who had crossed over to Shiv Sena to contest from Kudal also won his seat.
In Ratnagiri, both industries minister Uday Samant and his brother Kiran Samant from Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena won their seats. The former was elected from Ratnagiri and the latter from Rajapur.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) had only one candidate who won from the region: Bhaskar Jadhav from the Guhagar constituency who won by just 2,830 votes.
In the Sawantwadi seat, BJP rebel Vishal Parab secured 33,281 votes thus increasing the win margin for Sena minister Deepak Kesarkar who secured 81,008 votes. The Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Rajan Teli was defeated.
In the Raigad belt, women and child welfare minister Aditi Tatkare from the NCP who helmed the Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana was among the big winners. She polled 82,798 votes to win from the Shrivardhan seat. Her father Sunil Tatkare, a close aide of aide of Ajit Pawar, is the MP from Raigad.