Nilesh Rane hits back at Sanjay Raut over defection allegations

Rane challenged the UBT leader to produce concrete evidence rather than relying on inflammatory rhetoric. He questioned whether Raut possessed personal knowledge of illegal hawala transactions, framing the accusations as a desperate attempt to deflect from the internal exodus. The clash highlights the deepening bitterness between the two factions following the departure of six MPs who recently aligned themselves with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Eknath Shinde welcomed the new arrivals, including Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav and Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure, with a pointed jab at his rival. During a press briefing, the Chief Minister quipped that having multiple leaders named Sanjay in his ranks rendered further discussion of the UBT spokesperson unnecessary. The defection serves as a significant blow to the Thackeray camp, which continues to characterize the shift as a betrayal of party ideology and voter mandate, while the Shinde faction frames the move as a homecoming for loyalists of the late Balasaheb Thackeray.