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Over the past 4 years, Ravi Rana and Navneet Kaur Rana person been among the astir vocal and relentless critics of Uddhav Thackeray. Their continuous attacks connected the Thackeray household during the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) authorities person won them the favour and enactment of the BJP, which vacated its assertion connected the Badnera Assembly spot successful the Amravati district, to backmost Ravi Rana, a three-time Independent MLA, successful Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024.
Despite the BJP-led Mahayuti supporting Ravi, 45, who is contesting again arsenic an Independent, the Ranas look important absorption successful their bid to clasp the Badnera seat. They person incurred the wrath of some Shiv Sena (UBT) and Prahar Janshakti Party’s Bacchu Kadu, who has vowed to decision them. As a result, Ravi’s re-election prospects are looking progressively uphill.
The Ranas are nary strangers to the spotlight. From Navneet’s movie career, sharing the metallic surface with confederate stars similar Vijayakanth and Mammootty, to their high-profile matrimony encouraged by Baba Ramdev astatine a wide wedding, and adjacent being arrested by the Mumbai constabulary for readying a Hanuman chalisa recital extracurricular Uddhav Thackeray’s residence successful Bandra, the mates has ne'er been acold from controversy.
What genuinely distinguishes the Ranas, however, is their governmental adaptability. Ravi Rana, the ascendant governmental unit among the couple, has represented Badnera arsenic an Independent for 3 terms. His governmental travel began with a astonishing 2009 triumph against the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate, contempt being an Independent. His entreaty among the youth, combined with his infamous “Flex Kumar” image—due to his extended usage of flex posters—helped catapult him to prominence. Although his rivals dismissed him arsenic a specified “poster boy”, his power successful the portion lone grew, arsenic did allegations of expanding onshore holdings.
Navneet Rana, 38, hails from a Punjabi household and grew up successful Mumbai. She entered the movie manufacture successful 2004, debuting successful a Kannada film, and has worked with notable stars specified arsenic Vijayakanth, Junior NTR, and Mammootty. Fluent successful 7 languages, Navneet’s beingness took a crook erstwhile she met Baba Ramdev. Ravi, already a adjacent subordinate of the yoga guru, was introduced to him during a “Yog Shivir” successful Amravati. Ramdev played a pivotal relation successful encouraging their marriage, and successful 2011, the mates wed astatine a wide wedding ceremonial attended by implicit 3,000 couples.
In Amravati, the Ranas are seen arsenic governmental chameleons, capable to navigate enactment lines with singular flexibility acknowledgment to their presumption arsenic Independents. This governmental state has allowed them to align themselves with the ruling parties erstwhile it suited them, arsenic seen successful their ties with the BJP.
Before 2014, Ravi led protests against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) authorities astatine the Centre, yet successful the aforesaid year, Navneet managed to unafraid an NCP summons to contention against sitting Shiv Sena MP Anandrao Adsul successful the Lok Sabha elections. Though she mislaid that election, she won successful 2019, backed by the NCP-Congress alliance. However, her narration with the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi soured erstwhile she cosied up to the BJP and began personally attacking Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, partially owed to a ineligible lawsuit concerning her caste presumption and eligibility to contention from a reserved seat.
Their vocal disapproval of the Thackerays endeared them to the BJP, but it has riled Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MVA, who person pledged to decision them. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Navneet Rana was defeated, and present the MVA has acceptable its sights connected ending Ravi Rana’s governmental tenure successful Badnera.
However, Ravi inactive holds anticipation arsenic Navneet Rana drew implicit 1 lakh votes and pb of 26,763 votes successful the 2024 Lok Sabha predetermination for Amravati — which she contested connected a BJP summons and mislaid — successful the Badnera Assembly constituency represented by her husband.
The last-minute campaigner alteration by the Shiv Sena (UBT), which gave the summons to Sunil Kharate alternatively of Preeti Band, the woman of the precocious Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Band, has besides fixed Ravi a hint of opportunity. Band, present contesting arsenic an Independent with Bacchu Kadu’s backing, has important enactment successful the region. Ravi, however, volition besides look a situation from BJP rebel Tushar Bhartiya, who has entered the race. Despite this, the Ranas stay optimistic, hoping that the backing and enactment of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis volition Ravi sail through.
“For the improvement of Maharashtra, we request Devendra Fadnavis. It is important that helium becomes the Chief Minister.” Ravi said.
The Maharashtra Assembly elections volition beryllium held connected November 20 and the votes volition beryllium counted connected November 23.
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