Maharashtra Elections: NCP Releases 1st List, Ajit Pawar To Contest From Baramati

The elections will be held on November 20 and the results will be declared on November 23.

Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has announced a list of 38 candidates for the November 20 Assembly elections in Maharashtra. Pawar, who is the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra and head of the party, will contest the elections from the Baramati seat. State cabinet minister Chaggan Bhjbal will contest the election from Yeola, while Dilip Walse Patil will fight from Ambegaon.

The ruling Shinde-led Shiv Sena, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and NCP's Mahayuti alliance is fighting against the MVA, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction).

Pawar and his party leader Praful Patel visited New Delhi on Tuesday. Earlier, reports that the BJP may contest 156 of the 288 seats, while Shiv Sena may fight on 78 seats and the NCP may get 54 seats.

NCP renominated 26 sitting MLAs, including ministers who supported Ajit Pawar when he joined the ruling camp. The party also fielded sitting MLAs Sulbha Khodke (Amravati) and Hiraman Khoskar (Igatpuri) who recently switched over from the Congress.

Bharat Gavit, son of Congress veteran late Manikrao Gavit, has been fielded from Navapur. Narhari Zirwal, Deputy Speaker of the state assembly, has been fielded from Dindori. Former minister Rajkumar Badole, who was earlier with BJP, has been given the ticket from Arjuni-Morgaon.

On Tuesday, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena released its second list of 45 candidates for the Maharashtra assembly elections. Raj Thackeray's son Amit Thackeray will contest from the Mahim assembly seat, while MNS spokesperson and former corporator Sandeep Deshpande will contest from Worli.