Mumbai, Oct 20 (PTI) The BJP’s move to retain 71 MLAs in the first list of 99 candidates for the Maharashtra assembly polls and field relatives of influential leaders in some segments reflects its risk-aversion approach in the wake of the poor show in general elections in the western state.
Sreejaya Chavan, daughter of former CM and Congress turncoat Ashok Chavan who joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, is among the kin of regional satraps picked by the BJP for the November 20 contest.
Sreejaya, who holds a law degree, will make her electoral debut from the home turf Bhokar segment, represented by the senior Chavan, in Nanded district.
The BJP has renominated Nitesh Rane, son of former Union minister and Konkan strongman Narayan Rane, from the Kankavli seat in Sindhudurg district.
Another political dynast who secured the ticket is Amal Mahadik, the younger brother of BJP’s Rajya Sabha member Dhananjay Mahadik. He will try to reclaim the Kolhapur South assembly constituency he had won in 2014.
The BJP has also approved the candidature of Santosh Danve, sitting MLA from Bhokardan constituency and son of former Union minister Raosaheb Danve, in Jalna district.
Sambhaji Patil Nilangekar, former BJP minister and grandson of ex-chief minister Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar, has been renominated from Nilanga in Latur district.
Other candidates related to prominent politicians include Rana Jagjitsinha Patil, son of senior politician Padmasinha Patil closely related to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Rana’s wife, Archana Patil, had unsuccessfully contested from the Dharashiv Lok Sabha seat as the NCP candidate.
In Pune, Siddharth Shirole has been renominated from the Shivajinagar constituency. He is the son of former BJP MP Anil Shirole.
In the Chinchwad seat, incumbent MLA Ashwini Jagtap has been replaced by her brother-in-law Shankar Jagtap.
In Mumbai, the BJP has fielded its city unit chief Ashish Shelar from the Bandra West assembly segment for the third time, while his brother Vinod Shelar will test the electoral waters from the Malad West seat. Vinod is likely to face sitting Congress MLA and former minister Aslam Shaikh if the latter is renominated.
In the previous polls, Shaikh defeated Ramesh Singh Thakur of the BJP by a margin of 10,000 votes.
The BJP has fielded incumbent MLCs- Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Ram Shinde from Kamthi and Karjat Jamkhed constituencies, respectively.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, the grandson of Sharad Pawar, is the sitting MLA from Karjat Jamkhed in Ahilyanagar district.
The BJP has retained 71 MLAs in the first list including Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar, ministers Girish Mahajan, Sudhir Mungantiwar, and Chandrakant Patil, among the prominent faces.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP’s tally in Maharashtra fell from 23 to 9 due to several factors while facing off against the Maha Vikas Aghadi candidates.
In the 2019 assembly elections contested with then ally Shiv Sena (undivided), the BJP bagged 105 of 164 seats where it had fielded candidates.
The elections to the 288-member assembly will be held on November 20.
The BJP is looking to contest around 150 seats in the state but is involved in tough bargaining with its allies Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP. PTI ND NSK
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