Maharashtra: Former actress defeats Shiv Sena veteran Anandrao Adsul

While most Congress and NCP veterans were being felled by the pro-incumbency wave in Maharashtra, actress-turned-politician Navneet Kaur Rana managed to trounce Shiv Sena's old warhorse Anandrao Adsul in Amravati.

Adsul's associates claim that Kaur, who is married to Ravi Rana, independent MLA from Badnera in the district, sailed through by around 37,000 votes due to the covert support of some local BJP leaders.

Ravi, a second term MLA who has his own outfit Yuva Swabhimaan, is said to be close to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The Sena candidate claimed said he would reach out to BJP voters, Kaur said she would support Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister if elected, which may have served as the clincher.

In 2014, Adsul, a former union minister of state, who has been a three-term MP from Buldhana, defeated Kaur, who was the NCP nominee from the constituency reserved for scheduled castes (SC). This time, Kaur contested as a Yuva Swabhimaan candidate backed by the NCP and Congress and won despite not having a party symbol.

"Consolidation of Muslims, who account for 3.5 lakh voters, Dalits (four lakh), women, and the support of RPI leader Rajendra Gavai, the son of the late RS Gavai, who has some clout in the district, helped Kaur. The campaign of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) candidates also petered off, and hence, the expected division in opposition votes did not happen," explained a senior NCP leader.

Shiv Sena leaders charged that local BJP functionaries also worked for Kaur instead of Adsul. In Amravati, Sena piggybacks on the BJP as the later carries greater influence in the constituency, which was once represented by Pratibha Patil, who became the President in 2007.

Kaur, a Punjabi, who completed her education in Mumbai, started modelling and acting in films after completing her Standard X. She has starred in Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam films. Her Punjabi roots may have helped Kaur get support from the Sindhi community, which accounts for around 25,000 votes in the city, located around 150 km from Nagpur.

In February 2011, she married Rana, in a mass marriage solemnised by yoga guru Baba Ramdev. Rana is an associate of the Baba and was present at his 2011 agitation at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi.

However, Kaur has been accused of forging documents to secure a caste certificate to qualify as an SC despite belonging to the other backward class (OBC) category.

INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE WITHOUT SYMBOL

• Navneet Kaur Rana is married to Ravi Rana, independent MLA from Badnera. Raviis said to be close to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
   
• Shiv Sena leaders charged that local BJP functionaries also worked for Kaur instead of Adsul. In Amravati, Sena piggybacks on the BJP as the later carries greater influence in the constituency