Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its first list of 125 candidates for  October 21 Maharashtra Assembly polls. This includes expected names like Chief Minister Devendra Fnavis and state unit president Chandrakant Patil, but high-profile figures Eknath Khse and Vindo Tawde are missing from it. Fnavis, first BJP chief minister of state, will seek a consecutive fifth term from Nagpur South West, while Patil, a two-time Maharashtra Legislative Council member, will make his Assembly election debut from Kothrud in Pune.

Maharashtra: BJP's 125-candidate List Out, CM Fnavis From Nagpur SW

Candidates in poll-bound Maharashtra

list has names of 12 women candidates, including seven sitting MLAs. Kothrud MLA Medha Kulkarni was denied a ticket this time to accommodate Patil, who is also a minister, while in Mulund in Mumbai, sitting MLA Sardar Tara Singh has been replaced by Mihir Kotecha. Among table debutants, Fnavis's private assistant Abhimanyu Pawar has been fielded from Ausa in Latur district. Several leers from Congress and NCP who me ir way to BJP in run-up to polls have been rewarded and handed election tickets. se are Harshvardhan Patil (Indapur), Rhakrishna Vikhe Patil (Shirdi), Vaibhav Pich (Akole), Jaykumar Gore (Man), Man Bhosale (Wai), Rana Jagjitsinh Patil (Tuljapur), Kalidas Kolambkar (Wala), Shivendraraje Bhosale (Satara) and Sandeep Naik (Airoli).

Aitya Thackeray To Contest Maharashtra Polls; 'Howdy i,' Says Raut

list does t figure names of Khse, a former minister and among party's prominent leers from state, and School Education minister Vid Tawde. In joining Thane district, where BJP has nine MLAs, it has reminated all but two of m. party has reminated its sitting MLAs Mahesh Chowgule (Bhiwandi West), Kisan Kathore (Murb), Ganpat Gaikw (Kalyan East), Ravindra Chavan (Dombivili), Narendra Mehta (Mira Bhayander), Sanjay Kelkar (Thane) and Manda Mhatre (Belapur). Narendra Pawar, sitting BJP MLA from Kalyan-West, has been denied ticket. Sandip Naik, who was elected in 2014 from Airoli on an NCP ticket and joined BJP a few weeks ago, has been fielded by saffron party from same seat in Navi Mumbai. In Palghar district, party has again given ticket to Paskal Dhanare, sitting MLA from Dhanau, and fielded Hemant Sawra, son of former minister Vishnu Sawra, from Vikramgh.

RE: Aitya Thackeray dresses Rally In Worli Ahe Of Maharashtra Polls

Maharashtra Assembly Elections

Maharashtra Assembly elections will be held on October 1. elections will be held in a single-phase polling and counting of votes will take place on October 24. Maharashtra Assembly consists of 288 seats.  In 2014 in  Maharashtra Assembly elections, BJP and Shiv Sena h contested separately over a dispute over sharing of seats. BJP h won 122 out of 260 seats it h contested while Sena bagged 63 out of 282 seats. After BJP government was formed, Shiv Sena h joined alliance.  Shiv Sena and BJP will contest  Maharashtra Assembly elections toger this time after an anuncement was me over seat-sharing. Shiv Sena scion Aitya Thackeray will become first from his family to contest elections, fighting it out for Worli seat.

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(With PTI Inputs)