Maharastra Assembly polls: Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis, state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule in BJP’s first list of 99 candidates

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Oct 20 announced its first list of 99 candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will contest from Nagpur South West and state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule from Kamthi segment, according to the list.

Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly polls will be held on Nov 20, while results will be declared on Nov 23. The term of the current assembly ends on Nov 26. The filing of nominations will start on Oct 20.

Also, Sreejaya Ashok Chavan, daughter of former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan – who left the Congress earlier this year – has been given a ticket from Bhokar assembly segment.

Some other notable candidates in the first list include Ram Kadam, who will contest from Ghatkopar West, Shweta Mahale Patil from Chikli, and Nitish Rane from Kankavli.

The BJP is in alliance with Maharastra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). BJP recently won elections in the 90-seat assembly in Haryana securing 48 seats — third consecutive win—, which is expected to give a much-needed boost to the party in upcoming Maharashtra elections.

Meanwhile, ahead of the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray or UBT) leader and Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut on Oct 20 leveled serious allegations against the BJP, including tampering with voters’ lists in both States with the help of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai Raut said, “There is manipulation happening in the voters’ lists in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Similar attempts were made in Haryana. The BJP is trying to mess up the voters’ lists with the help of the ECI.”

“BJP is removing 10,000 voters who voted for Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in every constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, and replacing those 10,000 voters with another 10,000 bogus voters, thus reducing our chances of winning. We will raise this issue on international platforms to let people know how democracy is being destroyed in this country,” he added.

He alleged that the ECI had scheduled the election in a manner that would restrict the MVA from forming a government effectively.

“The counting will take place on Nov 23, which means the MVA partners — Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, NCP-SP (Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Pawar) and other small parties will have only 48 hours for government formation," he said.

"The BJP seems to have accepted their defeat already — that is the reason the party is playing different cards — such as engaging in voter list fraud with the help of the ECI, and trying to limit the time available for the MVA to discuss and decide about government formation,” Raut added.

Ahead of elections, Shinde on Oct 19 was quoted as saying talks on seat distribution are in the final stage and consensus has to be reached only for 30-35 seats out of the total 288 assembly constituencies.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray recently met Congress’s Ramesh Chennithala to discuss and resolve seat-sharing issues. The MVA in a statement recently claimed to have reached a consensus for 260 assembly seats. The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Oct 17 announced its candidates for five seats in Maharashtra at different public meetings in the state.

Pertinently, in the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP and Shiv Sena partnered as allies under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), while the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) teamed up as part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance achieved victory by winning 161 seats, with the BJP securing 105 seats and the Shiv Sena 56. Congress-NCP alliance won 98 seats — 54 seats for the NCP and 44 for the Congress.