Mumbai, October 1: Hours after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced the first list of 125 candidates for the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2019, senior party leader Eknath Khadse on Tuesday filed his nomination from Muktainagar assembly constituency. He won the 2014 assembly elections from the same seat. However, the BJP has not yet announced any candidate from Muktainagar assembly constituency. BJP First List of Candidates For Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2019 Out, Devendra Fadnavis to Contest From Nagpur South West.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Khadse said, "If being loyalist to the party is a crime, then yes I am a criminal. In past 25 years from the times of Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde ji, I was the part of decision-making bodies in BJP Maharashtra. I decided tickets for others." Khadse further added that the possibility of getting ticket could not be ignored as it is still not clear whether the seat is going to be with Shiv Sena or with the BJP.

Eknath Khadse's Statement:

In the first list, the saffron party has dropped the names of 12 sitting MLAs. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is contesting the polls from Nagpur South-West constituency. The BJP has given a ticket to Pankaja Munde from Parli assembly constituency. Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil who quit Congress and joined the BJP recently will contest from Shirdi. State Minister Girish Mahajan will contest from Jamner. Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2019: Shiv Sena Declares List of 124 Constituencies Where it Will Contest, BJP Silent on Seat-Sharing Pact.

The BJP released the list at a time when seat-sharing deal with the Shiv Sena is yet to be announced. The Shiv on Tuesday also announced the names of 124 constituencies from where it will field its candidates. According to reports, the BJP may contest on might have 164 seats in its quota. The Shiv Sena is also reportedly bargaining for two more seats - Dombivli West and Mumbadevi. The saffron party is likely to will give seats from its own quota to smaller allies such as the Republican Party of India-A, the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, the Shiv Sangram Party and the Rayat Kranti Sanghatana.

Earlier, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena was adamant on 50-50 formula under which both allies would have contested 135 seats each, leaving the remaining 18 seats to the smaller allies. The elections for 288-member assembly is scheduled to take place on October 21, and the results will be declared on October 24.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 01, 2019 06:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).