BJP fields five candidates, Sena and Cong field two each, NCP keeps cards close to the chest

The Shiv Sena has nominated two fresh candidates — Aamshya Padavi and Sachin Ahir. Both candidates filed their nominations in the presence of state Tourism and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray and Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde. The Congress candidates in the fray are former Mumbai mayor Chandrakant Handore and Mumbai Congress chief Bhai Jagtap. Both these candidates will file their nominations on Thursday, the last date for filing nominations. Till Wednesday evening, the NCP was yet to announce its candidates.

Polling for the 10 Legislative Council seats will take place on June 20, when the 288 members in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly will exercise their votes through secret ballot.

BJP national secretary Pankaja Munde has not found a place in the party’s list of candidates.

By giving a second term to Darekar, the BJP has signaled that he is likely to continue as opposition leader in the Legislative Council. BJP vice-president Prasad Lad has been fielded as he is expected to play a crucial role in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls.

BJP leader Shrikant Bharatiya was officer on special duty in the Chief Minister’s Office during Devendra Fadnavis’s tenure as CM. He is is BJP general secretary at present. Another candidate, Ram Shinde, has been politically rehabilitated after he was defeated by NCP’s Rohit Pawar in the 2019 Assembly polls. State BJP women wing president Uma Khapre has been fielded to accommodate a woman and OBC candidate.

State BJP president Chandrakant Patil said, “All the five candidates were approved by the central leadership of the party.” On the omission of Pankaja Munde, he said, “The leaders probably have other plans for her.”

The Sena, meanwhile, has decided to replace its old guards, Industries Minister Subash Desai and Diwakar Raote, with new leaders such as Aamshya Padavi and Sachin Ahir. Padavi, who hails from Nandurbar, had lost to Congress’ K C Padvi. Ahir had quit the NCP to join the Sena before the 2019 Assembly polls. He is being rewarded for working hard to get Aaditya Thackeray elected from the Worli assembly seat.