BJP Releases First List Of 99 Candidates For Maharashtra Polls, Fields Fadnavis From Nagpur South – News18

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released its first list of 99 candidates for the upcoming legislative elections in Maharashtra. Maharashtra Assembly has 288 seats and the BJP is contesting 151 of them.

The list released Sunday afternoon has names of 99 candidates. BJP is contesting 151 out of the 288 seats in Maharashtra.

The party also fielded 13 female candidates, fielding Shrijaya Chavan, daughter of Congress veteran Ashok Chavan (who joined BJP in February) from Bhokar. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will contest from Nagpur Dakshin and Maharashtra state unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule will contest from Kamthi.

Maharashtra forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar will contest from the Ballarpur constituency.

In the Mumbai City district, Ram Kadam will contest from Ghatkopar West, Ashish Shelar will contest from Vandre West, Rahul Narwekar will contest from Colaba and Mangal Prabhat Lodha will contest from Malabar Hill.

The BJP’s first list for the Maharashtra elections also introduced several new faces. Among the new candidates are Pratibha Pachpute for Shrigonda, Vinod Shelar for Malad West and Rajesh Bakane, who ran as an independent last time, for Deoli. Shankar Jagtap fielded from Chinchwad and Vinod Agrawal, also an independent in the previous election, who is contesting from Gondia are also fresh faces.

Other BJP leaders who are contesting for the first time include Anuradha Chavan who will contest from Phulambri, Sulbha Gaikwad, wife of MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, contesting from Kalyan East, Rahul Awade from Ichalkaranji, and Amol Jawale from Raver.

Ashok Chavan’s daughter Shrijaya is also a new face.

The BJP also remains involved in tough bargaining with its allies Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP.