Maharashtra polls: BJP releases first list of 99 candidates comprising 10 ministers, 71 MLAs

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released its first list of 99 candidates including Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state unit party chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule for the November 20 Assembly elections.

Fadnavis has been renominated from Nagpur South West while Bawankule, who was denied a ticket in the 2019 Assembly polls and later nominated to the state council, was fielded from Kamthi.

Mumbai unit BJP chief Ashish Shelar has been fielded again from Bandra West while his brother Vinod Shelar has been nominated from Malad West.

The party has renominated its sitting 71 legislators — a move political analysts describe as preferring continuity to avoid rebellion and internal bickering.

The BJP, which is yet to reach a seat-sharing agreement with Shiv Sena and NCP, has preferred to mostly renominate the sitting legislators and applied social engineering in giving representation to various sections of society.

Of the 99 candidates, the party has fielded 13 women including Shweta Mahale (Chikhali); Shrijaya Ashok Chavan, who is the daughter of former chief minister and BJP Rajya Sabha member Ashok Chavan (Bhoyar); Meghana Bordikar (Jintur); Anuradhatai Chavan (Phulambri); Seema Hire (Nashik West) and Sulabha Gaikwad, who is the wife of sitting legislator Ganpat Gaikwad — who is currently in jail — from Kalyan East.

The women nominees also include Manda Mhatre (Belapur), Manisha Chaudhari (Dahisar), Vidya Thakur (Goregaon), Madhuri Misal (Parvati), Monika Rajale (Shevgaon), Pratibha Pachpute, who is wife of sitting legislator Babanrao Pachpute (Shrigonda) and Namita Mundada (Kaij).

Out of all the women candidates, Shrijaya Chavan, Sulabha Gaikwad, Pratibha Pachpute and Anuradhatai Chavan have been nominated for the first time, while nine others have been renominated.

The party has renominated Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar.

The list of ministers who were renominated again, include Vijaykumar Gavit from Nandurbar (ST); Girish Mahajan (Jamner); Sudhir Mungantiwar — who lost the Lok Sabha election from Chandrapur seat — from Ballarpur; Atul Save (Aurangabad east); Ravindra Chavan (Dombivali); Mangal Prabhat Lodha (Malabar Hill); Chandrakant Patil (Kothrud); Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil (Shirdi) and Suresh Khadse [Miraj (SC)].

Other candidates who have been renominated, include Rajesh Padvi (Shahada ST); Jaikumar Rawal (Sindhkheda); Kashiram Powara (Shirpur ST), Sanjay Savkare (Bhusawal SC), Suresh Bhole (Jalgaon City), Mangesh Chavan (Chalisgaon), Akash Phundkar (Khamgaon), Sanjay Kute (Jalgaon Jamod), Randhir Savarkar (Akola East), Pratap Adsad (Dhamangaon Railway), Pravin Tayde (Achalpur), Rajesh Bakane, who lost in 2019 election (Deoli), Samir Kunawar (Hinganghat), Pankaj Bhoyar (Wardha), Sameer Meghe (Hingna), Mohan Mate (Nagpur South), Krishna Khopde (Nagpur East), Vijay Rahangdale (Tirora), Vinod Agrawal (Gondiya), Sanjay Puram, who lost in 2019 election (Amgaon ST), among others.

The party has also fielded Rahul Awade, who is the son of a former minister Prakash Awade, from Ichalkaranji, Amar Mahadik (Kolhapur south), Shivajirao Kardile (Rahuri), Shankar Jagtap replacing the sitting legislator Ashwini Jagtap (Chinchwad), Mahesh Baldi (Uran), Rajan Naik (Nalasopara) and Anup Agarwal (Dhule City).

–IANS