Sea change in coastal belt: Once a Cong citadel, now a battleground for rival Senas
coastal belt, stretching from Mumbai to the southernmost district of Sindhudurg, was once a Congress citadel, but the party lost ground to the undivided Shiv Sena over the years. The coastal Konkan belt's economy was known to be dependent on money orders sent from Mumbai, where most of its residents migrated for work and business after Maharashtra achieved statehood in 1960. But the situation is no longer the same.
The region accounts for 75 of the total 288 state assembly seats, including 36 in Mumbai, and is expected to play a key role in deciding which coalition — ruling Mahayuti or opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) — governs Maharashtra after the November 20 polls.
Former CM and BJP Lok Sabha MP from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg Narayan Rane, who hails from the picturesque region, told PTI that Konkan has now become self-sufficient, thriving on exports of fish, mangoes and cashews.
«Youths are embracing entrepreneurship. Infrastructure has also expanded with enhanced air and rail connectivity. There is sufficient electricity and water. The region has seen tremendous economic transformation,» said Rane, who won as Shiv Sena MLA from Malwan in Sindhudurg for the first time in 1990.
«I want to develop Ratnagiri as a tourism district, similar to Sindhudurg,» said the 72-year-old politician credited with establishing and expanding the undivided Shiv Sena before quitting the party.
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