BJP Announces 99 Candidates For Maharashtra, Fadnavis To Contest From Nagpur South

Maharashtra Assembly Elections: The Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) released its first list of candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule among the 99 candidates. 

Devendra Fadnavis will contest from the Nagpur South West constituency, while Bawankule is set to run from Kamthi. 

Shrijaya Chavan, daughter of BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan, has been nominated as the candidate for the Bhokar seat. The BJP 's candidate list also features prominent figures such as state ministers Girish Mahajan from Jamner, Sudhir Mungantiwar from Ballarpur, Ashish Shelar from Vandre West, Mangal Prabhat Lodha from Malabar Hill, Rahul Narwekar from Colaba, and Chhatrapati Shivendra Raje Bhosale from Satara.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP secured 105 seats, while the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray- Eknath Shinde faction) won 56 seats, and Congress claimed 44. In 2014, the BJP had a stronger performance with 122 seats, compared to Shiv Sena's 63 and Congress 's 42 seats.

The elections for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly are scheduled to take place in a single phase on November 20, as confirmed by the Election Commission. Vote counting is slated for November 23.