Sun Oct 20 18:06:54 UTC 2024: Here are the key points from the news article regarding the BJP’s candidate announcements for the Maharashtra assembly elections:

1. **Candidate List Announcement**: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its first list of 99 candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, scheduled for November 20.

2. **Key Candidates**:
– Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will run from Nagpur South West.
– Maharashtra BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule will contest from Kamthi.
– Shrijaya Chavan, daughter of BJP leader Ashok Chavan, is nominated from Bhokar.
– Mumbai BJP President Ashish Selar will contest from Vandre West.
– Nitesh Rane, son of senior leader Narayan Rane, is fielded from Kankavli.
– Other notable candidates include Girish Mahajan (Jamner), Sudhir Mungantiwar (Ballarpur), Mangal Prabhat Lodha (Malabar Hill), Rahul Narwekar (Colaba), and Chhatrapati Shivendra Raje Bhosale (Satara).

3. **Election Context**: The assembly elections will fill 288 seats, with results to be announced on November 23.

4. **Mahayuti Alliance**: The Mahayuti alliance comprises the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). They are still in negotiations over seat-sharing, with the BJP aiming to contest around 150 seats.

5. **Past Election Performance**: In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, and in 2014 it secured 122 seats. However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-led Mahayuti managed only 17 out of 48 seats, while the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi won 30 seats.

The article highlights the BJP’s strategic positioning and candidate selections as it prepares for a competitive electoral landscape in Maharashtra.

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