Maharashtra Assembly Election: Key Candidates, Constituencies (image:x.com/InfoAhilyanagar)
Maharashtra is gearing up for the assembly election on Wednesday, November 20. The polling for the 288 seats will be held in a single phase.
A total of 4,136 candidates are in the fray and among them 2,086 individuals are contesting as independents. As the ruling Mahayuti alliance hopes to continue in power, opposition Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) strives for a strong comeback. This assembly polls mark first one in the state after Shiv Sena and NCP split in 2022, and 2023 respectively.
In Mahayuti , the BJP has fielded 149 candidates, Shiv Sena (Shinde) 81, and NCP (Ajit Pawar) 59. Meanwhile, in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the Congress has fielded 101 candidates, Shiv Sena (UBT) 95, and NCP (Sharad Pawar) 86.
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The high-octane election campaigns witnessed the presence of national leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
There are over 9.7 crore eligible voters in the state. The voting will begin at 7AM and is scheduled to conclude at 6 PM. The counting of the votes will take place on November 23.
Key Candidates, Constituencies To Watch Out For:
Eknath Shinde (Kopri-Pachpakhadi)
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is contesting from the Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency of Thane. He has been representing the constituency since 2009 and was formerly the legislator of the Thane Assembly segment from 2004 to 2009. In the current polls, he is fielded against Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Kedar Dighe. Dighe is the nephew of Thane strongman and Shinde’s mentor late Anand Dighe.
Devendra Fadnavis (Nagpur South West)
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is seeking his sixth win from Nagpur South West constituency, a BJP bastion. He is fielded against Prafulla Gudadhe Patil of the Congress – for the second time. In the 2014 election, Patil contested against Fadnavis for the first time and lost the seat by a margin of 58,942 votes. This time, Gudadhe expressed confidence about his win, citing his long-term association with the constituency as well as anti-incumbency sentiments against Fadnavis.
Vijay Wadettiwar (Brahmapuri)
Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the legislative assembly Vijay Watchtower is seeking his third term from the Brahmapuri assembly segment. Former Minister, he was a two-term legislator from the Chimur Assembly constituency. Wadettiwar is pitted against the BJP’s Krishnalal Bajirao Sahare.
OBC strongman Chhagan Bhujbal is seeking his fifth term from Yeola constituency on the NCP (Ajit Pawar) ticket. He is fielded against his former friend Manikrao Shinde of the NCP (SCP). Yeola constituency is his home turf and Bhujbal has been representing the constituency since 2004. This time, he faces stiff opposition from Marathas due to his aggressive stance against their reservation demand.
Chandrashekhar Bawankule (Kamthi)
BJP State unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule is contesting from Kamthi (Kamtee) constituency. He is fielded against Suresh Yadavrao Bhoyar of the Congress. Considered as home turf, Bawankule secured victory in the seat in the 2004, 2009, and 2014.
Baramati: Ajit Pawar Vs Yugendra Pawar
Baramati is witnessing a high-profile family battle where Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his nephew Yugendra Pawar is in the fray. Yugendra, son of Ajit Pawar’s younger brother Shrinivas has been field by MVA on NCP (SCP) ticket.
Worli: Aaditya Thackeray Vs Milind Deora
In its first electoral battle after the split, the Shiv Sena (Shinde), has decided to field Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and party chief Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya Thackeray from the Worli assembly constituency.
Mahim: Sada Sarvankar Vs Mahesh Sawant Vs Amit Thackeray
Mahim is bracing for an intense three-way battle among sitting Shiv Sena MLA Sada Sarvankar, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s candidate Mahesh Sawant and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) nominee Amit Thackeray, son of Raj Thackeray.
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Islampur: Jayant Patil Vs Nishikant Bhosale Patil
Islampur constituency is considered as a NCP bastion. NCP leader Jayant Patil has been representing the constituency since 1990. As Patil is contesting on NCP (Sharad Pawar) ticket, he is fielded against Nishikant Prakash Bhosale Patil of the NCP (Ajit Pawar). In the 2019 assembly elections, Bhosale had contested as an independent candidate from Islampur, and emerged runner-up by securing over 40,000 votes.
