Mumbai, October 24: Following the footsteps of alliance partner BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction released its first list of 45 candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections 2024 on Wednesday, October 23. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has been fielded from the Kopri-Pachpakhadi Assembly constituency, while party leader Sada Sarvankar, sitting MLA of the undivided Shiv Sena, has been nominated from the Mahim assembly constituency. Assembly elections in Maharashtra will be held in a single phase on Wednesday, November 20, with votes being counted on Saturday, November 23.

The forthcoming Vidhan Sabha polls in Maharashtra will see a direct fight between the Mahayuti alliance, comprising Shinde’s Sena, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), consisting of Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar’s NCP, and the Congress party. With Shiv Sena’s first list out, let’s take a look at some of the key candidates who are in the fray for the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha polls 2024. Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Shiv Sena Releases 1st List of 45 Candidates; Fields CM Eknath Shinde From Kopri-Pachpakhadi, Shambhuraj Desai From Patan, Check Full List.

Eknath Shinde-Led Shiv Sena Releases 1st List of 45 Candidates, Check Names Below

Key Candidates of Shinde Faction for Upcoming Assembly Elections

Eknath Shinde Aims to Win His Fortress Kopri-Pachpakhadi Again

The Kopri-Pachpakhadi seat will be among the key constituencies in the Maharashtra assembly elections. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the sitting MLA from here, will be looking to win back his fortress once again. It must be noted that Eknath Shinde has been nominated to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Kopri since 2009. Before that, Shinde was an MLA from Thane constituency. The Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency will witness a clash between the two factions of Shiv Sena as Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Kedar Dighe against Eknath Shinde. Dighe is the nephew of the Shiv Sena leader Anand Dighe, a mentor of several Shiv Sena leaders, including Eknath Shinde.

Can Sada Sarvankar Retain Mahim Constituency?

Sada Sarvankar, an important leader of the Sena's Shinde faction, has been renominated from the Mahim Assembly constituency for the November 20 elections. He is up against MNS leader and Raj Thackeray's son Amit Thackeray, who is making his poll debut, and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Mahesh Sawant. Sada Sarvankar has been elected to the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha from Mahim for three terms in 2004, 2014 and 2019. In the last assembly elections, Sarvankar defeated MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande and Congress candidate Pravin Naik when he contested as leader of undivided Shiv Sena.

Will Uday Samant Get Re-Elected from Ratnagiri?

Uday Samant, a cabinet minister in the Eknath Shinde government, has been once again nominated from the Ratnagiri assembly constituency. The Ratnagiri seat in Maharashtra has been a fortress of Samant, who was elected as an MLA for four consecutive terms after being elected for the first time in 2004. During his first two terms, Uday Samant was elected as NCP leader, while in 2014 and 2019, he won from Ratnagiri as a Shiv Sena candidate. Will Samant retain Ratnagiri for a fifth term, or will other candidates make inroads? We shall know on November 23. Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: From Aaditya Thackeray in Worli and Kedar Dighe in Kopri-Pachpakhadi to Rajan Vichare in Thane, List of Key Shiv Sena (UBT) Candidates and Their Constituencies.

Mangesh Kudalkar Eyes Third Term from Kurla Seat

Shinde faction has once again fielded sitting MLA Mangesh Kudalkar from Kurla assembly constituency for the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha polls. A two-time MLA from Kurla, Mangesh Kudalkar, will aim to get elected to the state assembly for a record third time. He was first elected as an MLA from Kurla in 2014 when he snatched the assembly constituency from NCP after coming second in the 2009 polls.

Shinde Faction Places Trust in Yamini Jadhav to Win Byculla

Sitting MLA Yamini Jadhav has been nominated from the Byculla assembly constituency once again. Elected to the Vidhan Sabha in 2019 as leader of undivided Shiv Sena, Yamini Jadhav won the Byculla seat by defeating then-sitting MLA and AIMIM leader Waris Pathan. Her nomination for MLA from Byculla comes after Jadhav lost the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Mumbai South constituency. She was defeated by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Sawant who won a record third term as an MP.

In the 2019 assembly elections in Maharashtra, the saffron party won 105 seats, Shiv Sena won 56 seats, and the Congress bagged 44 seats. Whereas the 2014 Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha polls saw BJP winning 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63 seats and the Congress 42 seats, respectively.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 24, 2024 01:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).