New Delhi: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said on Monday that the party's first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra will be officially disclosed on March 26.
The list of the Uddhav Thackeray-led opposition party, a constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the state, will contain up to 16 names, he said.
"The Shiv Sena (UBT)'s (first) list will be declared tomorrow (March 26). We will declare candidates for 15-16 seats tomorrow", the Rajya Sabha MP told reporters here.
Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray has hinted at potential candidates for the Lok Sabha seats, including Amol Kiritkar for Mumbai North-West, Chandrahar Patil for Sangli, and Anant Gete for Raigad.
However, the NCP, another key member of the MVA alliance led by Sharadchandra Pawar, is yet to officially announce its candidates in Maharashtra for the upcoming April-May Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile, the Congress, also part of the state-level opposition coalition, has already declared its candidates in certain constituencies where there are no conflicts with its alliance partners.
The MVA constituents, also members of the I.N.D.I.A bloc, are still in the process of finalising their seat-sharing agreement. Maharashtra, with its 48 Lok Sabha seats, second only to Uttar Pradesh's 80, will hold elections in five phases beginning April 19. As the last date for filing nominations is March 27 for the five seats going to the polls in the first phase on April 19, it becomes necessary for parties who have not named nominees for these constituencies to do so by Tuesday.
The Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra for 2024 will be conducted in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, and May 20, with vote counting scheduled for June 4. The state is divided into 48 Lok Sabha constituencies, with five seats reserved for SC candidates, four for ST candidates, and 39 unreserved seats.