As the dates for the highly anticipated 2024 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Elections draw near, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiled its first list of 99 candidates on Sunday. A major highlight of the announcement is Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP heavyweight Devendra Fadnavis, who will contest from his traditional Nagpur South West constituency. This announcement came just two days after a crucial meeting at Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence, where party leaders deliberated on their strategy for the upcoming polls.
The Election Commission of India has confirmed that elections for all 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra will be held in a single phase on November 20, with the results to be declared on November 23. The BJP leads the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state, which includes Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction and the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). This powerful alliance is set to face a fierce challenge from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which comprises Congress, Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction, and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT).
The BJP’s candidate list features prominent names, including Ashish Shelar from Vandre West, Mangal Prabhat Lodha from Malabar Hill, and Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Rahul Narwekar, who will contest from Colaba. Other key candidates include Chhatrapati Shivendra Raje Bhosale from Satara, Girish Mahajan from Jamner, and Sudhir Mungantiwar from Ballarpur. Sreejaya Ashok Chavan has been given a ticket for Bhokar, while Vinod Shelar will contest from Malad West, and Suresh Damu Bhole will run from Jalgaon City. Additionally, Atul Save is set to contest from Aurangabad East, and Sanjay Mukund Kalkar will represent the Thane seat.
The Mahayuti alliance is expected to release the candidate lists for its Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) partners in the coming days, as the seat-sharing arrangement has reportedly been finalized.
With the battle lines clearly drawn, both alliances are gearing up for what promises to be a fiercely.