Maharashtra Elections 2024: CM Shinde nominates rebel team & its kin

CM Eknath Shinde during Shiv Sena’s Dusherra rally in Mumbai last month. Pic/Atul Kamble

Like its allies, the Shiv Sena (Shinde) has fielded all its ministers and MLAs for the forthcoming Assembly elections. It has chosen the family members of MPs, ministers, and MLAs for some contests. Independents who supported the Shinde government after the 2022 rebellion have also been roped in.

Party chief Eknath Shinde (Kopri-Pachpakhadi in Thane) led a list of 45 that came in late Tuesday night. Ministers Gulabrao Patil (Jalgaon Rural), Sanjay Rathod (Digras), Abdul Sattar (Sillod), Dada Bhuse (Malegaon Outer), Tanaji Sawant (Paranda), Shambhuraj Desai (Patan), Uday Samant (Ratnagiri) and Deepak Kesarkar (Sawantwadi) were in the first list.

Vilas Bhumre, the son of former minister Sandipan Bhumre, who was elected as MP in 2024, has kept the Paithan segment with the family. Khanapur MLA Anil Babar's son Suhas has replaced the father who died earlier this year. Erandol MLA Chimanrao Patil has vacated the seat for his son Amol Patil. Mumbai MLA-turned-MP Ravindra Waikar's wife Manisha is the party's choice from Jogeshwari (East). Minister Uday Samant's brother, Kiran, who wanted to contest the Lok Sabha polls, has been nominated from Rajapur.

Former MLA Abhijit Adsul, who is ex-MP Anand Adsul's son, will contest again in Daryapur-SC.

Among independents those who supported Shinde's government after the Sena split, Manjula Gavit (Sakri-ST), Narendra Bhondekar (Bhandara-SC), Ashish Jaiswal (Ramtek) and Chandrakant Nimba Patil (Muktainagar) have been inducted in the party fold and made official candidates. Patil had defeated Eknath Khadse's daughter Rohini, then with the BJP, by nearly 2,000 votes. He was supported by the Congress and the undivided NCP.

Shinde Sena vs MNS

Along with Jogeshwari East, the party named sitting MLAs as candidates for Magathane (Prakash Surve), Chandivli (Dilip Lande), Kurka-SC (Mangesh Kudalkar), Mahim (Sada Sarvankar) and Byculla (Yamimi Jadhav). The party will lock horns with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in Magathane, Jogeshwari East, Chandivli and Mahim, where Raj Thackeray's son Amit will be making his electoral debut.

Eknath Shinde's candidates will also be faced with MNS in Thane city and district. The vote-division scenario would be clear only after all candidates of undivided Shiv Sena's three offshoots are declared.