Maharashtra polls: BJP releases 1st candidates' list; Fadnavis among heavyweights
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released its first list of 99 candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly election, which will be held on November 20. The list was released after a crucial meeting at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's residence on Friday. The meeting was attended by top leaders including Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Key candidates and strategic seat distribution
Among the list is Deputy CM Fadnavis, who will contest from Nagpur South West. Other prominent candidates include state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule from Kamthi, minister Girish Mahajan from Jamner and minister Sudhir Mungantiwar from Ballarpur. The party has also fielded 13 female candidates, including Shrijaya Chavan, daughter of Congress veteran Ashok Chavan (who joined the BJP in February) from Bhokar.
Maharashtra assembly election: A 2-way battle
The upcoming Maharashtra assembly election is likely to witness a fierce two-way battle between the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition and the Maha Yuti Alliance. The MVA consists of Uddhav Thackeray's Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Congress, whereas, the Maha Yuti Alliance includes BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
Check the list here
Maharashtra's political landscape and voter demographics
Maharashtra is divided into 36 districts with 288 constituencies. These include 234 General constituencies, 25 ST constituencies, and 29 SC constituencies. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar revealed there are "9.63 crore voters in Maharashtra - 4.97 crore males and 4.66 crore female voters." Among these are "1.85 crore young voters," including "20.93 lakh first-time voters." The state has "1,00,186 polling stations at 52,789 locations."
