Maharashtra Assembly Elections: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Mondy released a list of four constituencies that it is sharing with its allies in the upcoming Assembly polls in Maharashtra. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party Of India (Athawale) will field candidate from Kalina Assembly seat.
Other names of the allies on the list include Yuwa Swabhiman Party that will contest from Badnera, Jan Surajya Shakti Party from Shahuwadi, and Rashtriya Samaj Party from Gangakhed.
After the list was released, Ramdas Athawale-led RPI (A) announced Amarjit Singh as the party's candidate for Kalina seat. However, the Union Minister said that the party workers are unhappy since no decision has been taken for the Dharavi seat, which he said is supposed to be given to the RPI (A).
"Meetings were being held by Mahayuti and it has been decided that the Republican Party of India (Athawale) will field its candidate from the Kalina Assembly constituency. Amarjit Singh has been announced as the candidate from the Kalina Assembly constituency. I am hopeful that we will emerge victorious from the seat. Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde had told me that the Dharavi Assembly constituency will be given to the Republican Party of India (Athawale) but till now, no decision has been taken on it...Republican Party of India (Athawale) should get at least two seats...It is not good to neglect the Republican Party of India (Athawale). The workers are very unhappy," he said.
On Monday, the BJP released its third list featuring 25 candidates who will be contesting the November 20 Assembly elections. On Saturday, the party had released its second list of 22 candidates. The first list was released with 99 candidates' names on it. So far, the BJP has announced candidates for 146 seats.
In the latest list, the party named Pravin Prabhakarrao Datke for Nagpur Central, Harish Marotiappa Pimple for Murtijapur, Ashish Ranjeet Deshmukh for Savner, Rajesh Shriam Wankhade for Teosa, and Milind Panurang Mane for Nagpur North, Sai Prakash Dahake for Karanja, Sudhakar Vitthalrao Kohale for Nagpur West, Sumit Kishor Wankhede for Arvi, Charansing Thakur for Katol, and Umesh Yawalkar for Morshi. It also featured four women, including sitting MLA from Versova Bharti Lavekar and Archana Patil-Chakurkar.
The BJP is a member of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. The alliance also includes the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party.
The elections for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly are scheduled to be held on November 20, with the counting of votes set for November 23.
In the 2019 Maharashtra polls, the BJP had won 105 seats, while the Shiv Sena bagged 56 seats. Congress had won 44 seats. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, Shiv Sena won 63, and Congress won 42.