The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar has announced the first list of 38 candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024. The elections are scheduled to be held on November 20, and the party has revealed that Ajit Pawar will be contesting from the family stronghold of Baramati. In addition to this, the NCP has renominated 26 sitting MLAs, including ministers who supported Ajit Pawar when he joined the ruling camp. The party has also fielded sitting legislators Sulbha Khodke from Amravati and Hiraman Khoskar from Igatpuri, who recently switched over from the Congress.
Furthermore, Bharat Gavit, the son of late Congress veteran Manikrao Gavit, has been given a ticket from Navapur. Deputy Speaker of the state assembly, Narhari Zirwal, will be contesting from Dindori, and state cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal will be contesting from Yeola. The NCP has also nominated former minister Rajkumar Badole, who was previously with the BJP, to run from Arjuni-Morgaon.
On the other hand, the Shiv Sena has also released its first list of 45 candidates for the Maharashtra assembly polls. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has been nominated from Kopri-Panchpakhadi in Thane city, along with more than half a dozen cabinet members from their respective seats. The party has re-nominated almost all the MLAs who supported Shinde during his revolt against the former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022.
The Shiv Sena is the second major political party to announce its list of candidates for the state assembly polls, following the BJP’s release of a list of 99 candidates. The elections to the 288-member assembly are set to take place on November 20, with the results being counted on November 23. Eknath Shinde will be seeking re-election from the Kopri-Panchpakhadi seat in Thane city.
The ruling Mahayuti, which comprises the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, is yet to finalize its seat-sharing deal for the upcoming elections. Stay tuned for more updates on the candidates and developments as the election date approaches. Subscribe to Mid-day on WhatsApp Channels to stay updated with the latest news and information.
