BJP releases third list for Maharashtra assembly polls, Archana Patil to face Amit Deshmukh in Latur

With the third list, the BJP has so far announced candidates on 146 out of 288 seats. Its alliance partner, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced candidates for 65 constituencies, while the NCP led by deputy CM Ajit Pawar has announced 49 candidates.

In Arvi constituency, the BJP has replaced sitting MLA Dadarao Keche with Sunil Wankhede who has worked as personal assistant to Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. In Nagpur North Central, three-term sitting MLA Vikas Kumbhare has been dropped. Instead, former Nagpur Municipal Corporator mayor and MLC Pravin Datke was given ticket. In Arni constituency, sitting MLA Sandip Dhurve has been replaced by Raju Todsam.

In Borivali, sitting MLA Sunil Rane has been replaced by Sanjay Upadhyay, a decision that has not gone down well with the party’s senior leader and former MP Gopal Shetty who was vying for the seat.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP dropped the sitting MP from Mumbai North, choosing Union Minister Piyush Goyal as their candidate. Though upset with the decision, Shetty was hoping he would be compensated with a ticket from Borivali in the state assembly.

A close aide of Shetty said, “The party has done injustice to Gopal Shetty. First, they dropped him in Lok Sabha and now assembly. We want him to contest as an independent candidate.”

Despite internal bickering, two-term MLA Bharati Lavekar has been retained for Versova seat and Parag Shah for Ghatkopar East.

Jitesh Antapurkar is contesting from the Deglur seat. He is a close aide of former CM and BJP Rajya Sabha (MP) Ashok Chavan who switched sides from Congress to BJP before Lok Sabha polls. Antapurkar has won the Deglur bypolls as a Congress candidate in 2021.

A notable candidate contesting from Saoner constituency is Ashish Deshmukh. In the previous election, Ashish Deshmukh fought from Congress ticket against Fadnavis in Nagpur South West and lost. The son of former MPCC chief and minister Ranjit Deshmukh, Ashish had left Congress to join the BJP in 2014. In 2018, he left the BJP to join the Congress. However, before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he returned to the BJP.

Despite protest from senior minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, the BJP has given ticket to independent candidate Kishore Jorgewar in Chandrapur constituency. In the previous assembly polls, Jorgewar won the seat as an independent candidate. He formally joined the BJP on Sunday.

The list has four women candidates — Sai Prakash Dahake (Karanja seat), Archana Patil Chakurkar (Latur Rural), Bharati Lavekar (Versova), Sneha Dube (Vasai).

4 seats for small allies

The BJP has left four constituencies to smaller allies: Yuva Swabhiman Party (Badnera), Rashtriya Samaj Party (Gangakhed), Republican Party of India (Kalina) and Jan Surajya Shakti Party (Shahuwadi).

In the previous election, Yuva Swabhiman Party’s Ravi Rana was elected from Badnera, after which he associated himself with the Mahayuti. By accommodating four smaller parties, the BJP has ensured that there is no split in the votes in these constituencies as it will support the candidates fielded by them.

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale-led RPI(A) does not have any MP or MLA at present. He was seeking atleast eight seats but will have to settle with just one. Same with other two parties, JSS and RSP, who got one seat each.

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