Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Narayan Rane, who lost the Assembly bypoll from Bandra here in April, is said to be keen on entering the legislature through the Council route.
The former Chief Minister wants to contest from one of the two Council seats under Mumbai local authority category that are due to fall vacant on January 1, 2016, sources in Congress said today.
The Konkan strongman was defeated in the October 2014 Assembly elections from Kudal in his home turf of coastal Maharashtra. He then made an unsuccessful attempt to get back into the Legislative Assembly from Bandra East, where Assembly by-election was held in April this year. On both occasions, he lost to candidates from Shiv Sena, his former party.
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"After the defeat in Assembly bypoll, Rane wants to enter the legislature through the Council route," the sources said.
From December 2015 to July 2016, 30 Council seats are falling vacant. Of these, 18 are falling vacant between December 5, 2015 and January 1, 2016.
The Election Commission has already notified summary revision of electoral rolls for Amravati, Nashik, Aurangabad, Konkan and Nagpur, where Council seats under graduate and teacher constituencies will fall vacant on December 5.
Besides these, six other MLC seats are falling vacant on the same date. These are Sangli-Satara, Bhandara-Gondia, Yavatmal, Pune, Nanded and Jalgaon (all under local authorities category.
