Mumbai, October 23: Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), on Wednesday, October 23, released the first list of 65 candidates for the Maharashtra assembly elections 2024. This is the first time the Thackeray faction will fight Vidhan Sabha polls after Eknath Shinde orchestrated a vertical split in the party 2.5 years ago. Accordingly, the list features many fresh faces, as well as a few bigwigs.

The Shiv Sena faction has renominated most of its MLAs who stayed with party chief and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray after the split in 2022. Former state minister and party chief Uddhav Thackeray’s son, Aaditya Thackeray, will be contesting from his current constituency of Worli in Mumbai. Former MP Rajan Vichare will enter the fray from the Thane assembly seat. Take a look at some of the key Shiv Sena (UBT) candidates and their constituencies. Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Aaditya Thackeray To Contest From Worli As Shiv Sena (UBT) Releases 1st List of 65 Candidates; Kedar Dighe To Challenge CM Eknath Shinde From Kopri-Pachpakhadi Constituency, Check Full List Here.

Key Shiv Sena (UBT) Candidates and Constituencies for Maharashtra Polls

Aaditya Thackeray

Uddhav Sena has renominated Aaditya Thackeray from the Worli assembly seat in Mumbai. Aaditya is the son of Uddhav Thackeray, the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and the grandson of Bal Thackeray, the founder of Shiv Sena. He has held several significant positions, including serving as a Cabinet Minister for Higher Education, Tourism, and Environment in the Maharashtra government from 2019 to 2022. He is also the President of Yuva Sena, the youth wing of Shiv Sena. Junior Thackeray will face Sandeep Deshpande of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the upcoming state elections.

Kedar Dighe

Kedar Dighe has been fielded by Uddhav Thackeray to contest against CM Eknath Shinde in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections from the Kopri-Panchpakhadi constituency in Thane. Kedar is the nephew of the late Anand Dighe, a prominent Shiv Sena leader who was a mentor to many, including the current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. 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.

Rajan Vichare 

Rajan Vichare has been fielded from the Thane assembly seat for the upcoming Maharashtra election 2024. Vichare represented the Thane constituency in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s Parliament. Vichare was a Member of Parliament since 2014 and was re-elected in 2019. However, he lost the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. Before his tenure in the Lok Sabha, he served as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 2009 to 2014.

Vichare has a long history with the Shiv Sena, having risen through the party ranks from being a local unit leader (Shakha Pramukh) to a four-term corporator in the Thane Municipal Corporation.

Sunil Prabhu

The faction has repeated Sunil Prabhu from the Dindoshi assembly constituency in Mumbai. Prabhu has been serving as an MLA since 2014 and was re-elected in 2019. Before his tenure in the state assembly, Sunil Prabhu was the Mayor of Mumbai from 2012 to 2014. He has a long history with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), having been elected as a corporator multiple times since 19971. Prabhu is known for his strong oratory skills and his focus on financial issues within the civic body.

Rajan Salvi

Rajan Vichare will contest the Rajapur seat in the upcoming Maharashtra elections. Salvi was elected to the assembly for three consecutive terms, starting in 2009, and was re-elected in 2014 and 2019. He is known for his work in the Konkan region, particularly in Ratnagiri district, where his constituency is located.

Varun Sardesai

Varun Sardesai, a rising name in Shiv Sena (UBT), has been fielded from Bandra East constituency in Mumbai. He is the cousin of Aaditya Thackeray and has been actively involved in the party’s youth wing, Yuva Sena. Varun holds an MS in Civil Engineering from Columbia University.

The Maharashtra assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with counting for all 288 constituencies set for November 23. In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena won 56 seats, and the Congress secured 44 seats.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 23, 2024 08:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).