Konkan: Rane may help Cong get 3 more seats

Rane has caused three by-elections in his area by making his three supporter—Ganpat Kadam (Rajapur), Subhash Bane (Sangmeshwar) and Shankar Kambli (Vengurla)—resign from their seats and join the Congress on November 4 while he was campaigning for the Malvan seat.

This would also enable Congress to get over the psychological barrier of NCP being a bigger partner with just two seats more than it. Rane’s entry has helped the Congress make up its loss of one seat following the victory of a Sena nominee from the seat vacated by Sushil Kumar Shinde, currently Governor of Andhra Pradesh.

The NCP has been forced to keep quiet due to a prior understanding between coalition partners that sitting MLAs defecting from other parties would be re-nominated after their resignations, no matter which of the two parties they choose to join. However, sources in the NCP said they would protest once it comes to the constituencies where its nominees had finished second. Two such constituencies are Kopargaon and Shivaji Nagar, held by Rane’s supporters.

Congress sources dismissed the suggestion and said the NCP-formula would not prevail. They recalled that the first to take advantage of the bilateral understanding was NCP when it claimed Beed Lok Sabha constituency after BJP member Jaisingh Rao Gaekwad joined its ranks. The Congress benefitted next with the entry of Babasaheb Vikhe-Patil from Sena.