Maharashtra polls: Cong releases first candidates' list, retains 25 sitting MLAs
New Delhi/Mumbai, Oct 24 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday announced its first list of 48 candidates for the Maharashtra Assembly polls, fielding its state unit chief Nana Patole from Sakoli, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan from Karad South and Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar from Brahmapuri.
The party has retained 25 sitting MLAs in the first list.
The opposition party also fielded former ministers Nitin Raut and Balasaheb Thorat from Nagpur North and Sangamner, respectively, Jyoti Eknath Gaikwad from Dharavi, Amit Deshmukh from Latur City and Dheeraj Deshmukh from Latur Rural.
Mohammad Aarif Naseem Khan has been fielded from Chandivali, Aslam Sheikh from Malad West, Ranjit Kamble from Deoli and Vikas Thakre from Nagpur West.
In Raver in Jalgaon district, the party has fielded Dhananjay Chaudhari, son of sitting MLA Shirish Chaudhari. Muzafar Hussain has been fielded from Mira Bhayander in Thane district.
In Bhokar, Congress' Trupti Kondekar will take on BJP's Srijaya Chavan, daughter of Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan, a former CM who left the grand old party and joined the BJP recently.
Chavan's relative Meenal Khatgaonkar has been fielded by the Congress from Naigaon, while Praful Gudadhe will take on senior BJP leader and Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis from Nagpur South West assembly seat.
The Congress has given tickets to former MLAs Gopaldas Agarwal and Sunil Deshmukh from Gondia and Amravati, respectively. The two had switched to the BJP but recently returned to the Congress.
Jyoti Gaikwad is the sister of Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad, who was Dharavi MLA for four terms before being elected to the Lok Sabha from Mumbai North Central in the 2024 general elections.
Amit and Dheeraj Deshmukh are sons of former chief minister and Congress stalwart late Vilasrao Deshmukh.
The list comes a day after the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of the Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) announced that they will contest 85 seats each in the November 20 polls.
However, deliberations to seal a final pact are still underway. The three allies are discussing the sharing of the remaining 33 seats of the total 288 among themselves and smaller parties.
Addressing a press conference here in the evening, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said a consensus has been reached on 270 of the 288 seats.
"We will include the Samajwadi Party, PWP, CPI(M), CPI and AAP. Discussions are still on for the remaining seats. We have amicably arrived at a consensus on 270 seats. The MVA stands united to defeat the Mahayuti government," Raut said.
Patole said the remaining seats will be given to smaller parties.
The ruling Mahayuti alliance comprises Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly will be held in a single phase on November 20. The votes will be counted on November 23. PTI
