Maharashtra Elections 2024: Biggies, winners make it in BJP's 1st list of 99 candidates

The BJP announced its first list of 99 candidates, mostly sitting MLAs, for the Maharashtra Assembly Elections. The names included Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis from Nagpur South-West and state party president Chandrashekhar Bawankule from Kamptee. Bawankule was denied a ticket in 2019 from Kamptee, his citadel. He was later elected as MLC. This year he will replace sitting MLA Tekchand Savarkar. Fadnavis has been representing Nagpur South-West since 2009. Before delimitation, he represented Nagpur West since 1999. Former CM Ashok Chavan's daughter Sreejaya Chavan will be the BJP's face in the family's stronghold of Bhokar in Nanded district.

Winners return

In Mumbai, city unit president Ashish Shelar (sitting in Bandra-West) and his younger brother Vinod Shelar (debut in Malad West) will be seen in action. 13 sitting MLAs Manisha Chaudhary (Dahisar), Mihir Kotecha (Mulund), Atul Bhatkhakar (Kandivali East), Yogesh Sagar (Charkop), Vidya Thakur (Goregaon), Amit Satam (Andheri West), Parag Alavani (Vile Parle), Ram Kadam (Ghatkopar West), Tamil Selvan (Sion-Koliwada), Kalidas Kolamkar (Wadala), Mangal Prabhat Lodha (Malabar Hill) and Rahul Narvekar (Colaba) have been repeated. Three are to be confirmed.

DyCM Devendra Fadnavis thanked the party high command and congratulated the other 98 candidates. File Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

In Mumbai, the BJP had 16 MLAs in 2019, of which Borivli, Ghatkopar East and Versova are yet to be decided. In addition to the existing ones, the party is expected to get some more to contest. In Borivli, former MP Gopal Shetty is lobbying to replace Sunil Rane, who had contested in place of Vinod Tawde in 2019. Sources said, Tawde may stage a comeback to Borivli. Versova's sitting MLA Bharti Lavekar has a tough competition from a couple of aspirants. The party is also mulling change in Ghatkopar (East) where Prakash Mehta had made way for Parag Shah. Mehta is likely to return, said party insiders.

Shootout MLA's wife gets it

In Kalyan East, sitting MLA Ganpat Gaikwad's wife Sulabha Gaikwad has been fielded. The husband has been sidelined because of his involvement in a shootout. Thane seat has again been given to Sanjay Kelkar. Navi Mumbai's Airoli will see a local strongman Ganesh Naik taking up the battle again. Belapur's sitting MLA Manda Mhatre and her counterparts Prashant Thakur (Panvel), Mahesh Baldi (Uran) and Ravindra Chavan (Dombivli) will be the contenders from the BJP. Rajan Naik will file nominations from Nalasopara. Bhiwandi West will again be with local MLA Mahesh Chougule and Murbad with a long-time MLA Kisan Kathore. Nitesh Rane has retained Kankavali.

No surprises elsewhere

In Dhule City, where the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has a legislator, Anup Agrawal will contest for the BJP. Some of Pune's contentious seats were not in the first list. In Karjat Jamkhed, Ram Shinde will again fight NCP-SP's Rohit Pawar. Revenue Minister Radhakrishna Patil has got his traditional Shirdi segment. In Shrigonda, Pratibha Pachpute has replaced Babanrao Pachpute. In Phulambri, the position vacated by the Rajasthan governor Haribhau Bagde has been given to Anuradha Atul Chavan. Nagpur South and Nagpur East have retained their respective MLAs, Mohan Mate and Krishna Khopade. The candidates for Nagpur West, North and Central will come in the next list. Of these, the BJP has Central, the rest are with Congress.

Devendra Fadnavis thanked his party high command for giving him the sixth opportunity to contest the state polls. "I thank PM Narendra Modi ji, Amitbhai Shah, party president JP Nadda and the central election committee. I will try my best to live upto the trust the party and the people of Nagpur South- West constituency have shown in me for all these years. There were 98 others, including state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, whose names were announced today. I congratulate them and wish them the best."