Mon Oct 21 12:28:15 UTC 2024: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released its first list of 99 candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, retaining 71 sitting MLAs. Notable figures in the list include Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, and Assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar, among others. The list has 13 women candidates and includes family members of some regional leaders. Notably, Ashok Chavan’s daughter, Sreejaya Chavan, is making her electoral debut, contesting in Bhokar, while several sitting MLAs were dropped from their constituencies.
Fadnavis is nominated to contest from Nagpur South West, and 14 out of 16 Mumbai MLAs are renominated. The BJP is involved in negotiations regarding seat allocations with allies Shiv Sena and NCP and plans to contest around 150 seats. The assembly elections will take place on November 20, following a drop in the BJP’s Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra from 23 to 9 in the last elections.
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