Shiv Sena (Shinde) MLA Nilesh Rane has escalated tensions with his alliance partner, the BJP, by publicly accusing the state BJP chief of attempting to buy votes in upcoming local-body elections in Sindhudurg district. He claims that during a raid at a BJP worker’s house in Malvan, his team found “bags of cash” allegedly intended for distribution to voters.
Rane said he had recorded the raid and demanded that electoral authorities intervene urgently, calling the alleged money distribution part of a broader pattern of cash-for-votes ahead of the December 2 polls.
In response, the BJP denied the claims, calling them politically motivated and rejected the cash-distribution allegation as “baseless.” Consequently, police have registered an FIR against Rane.
As Maharashtra heads into civic-body elections, these accusations and counter-accusations have amplified the unease within the ruling coalition . Nilesh raising questions about election-day conduct, internal alliance stability, and the credibility of the electoral process in parts of the Konkan region.
