Maharashtra Assembly Polls: Shiv Sena UBT releases first list of 65 candidates, renominates 14 sitting MLAs
Several new faces are replacing MLAs who switched to the Shinde camp.
4 min read
The only sitting MLA excluded from the list is Ajay Chaudhari, who represents Sewri. While his name does not figure in the first list, party insiders said that Sudhir Dalvi is being considered from the seat.The Shiv Sena UBT on Wednesday released its first list of 65 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections, renominating 14 out of its 15 sitting MLAs. The announcement came minutes before a joint press conference of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), where a deal of 85 seats each between the allies — NCP (SP), Congress and Shiv Sena UBT — was announced.
The only sitting MLA excluded from the list is Ajay Chaudhari, who represents Sewri. While his name does not figure in the first list, party insiders said that Sudhir Dalvi is being considered from the seat.
Aaditya Thackeray, son of party chief Uddhav Thackeray, will seek re-election from the Worli constituency, while Aaditya’s cousin Varun Sardesai is making his electoral debut from Bandra East.
The party has also fielded candidates in 12 other seats across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Kedar Dighe, nephew of the late Sena stalwart Anand Dighe, will contest against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in the Kopri-Panchpakhadi constituency. The fight between Dighe and Shinde, who was mentored by Anand Dighe, is expected to turn fierce.
In Mahim, Mahesh Sawant will take on Amit Thackeray, son of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray. Rajan Vichare, former MP from Thane who lost in the recent Lok Sabha polls, has been given a ticket for the Thane assembly seat, considered a stronghold of CM Shinde.
Newly joined leaders such as Unmesh Patil from Chalisgaon, Advay Hire from Malegaon and Suresh Bankar from Sillod have also been given tickets. Seats such as Versova, Colaba and Chandivali, which are still under negotiation with Congress and NCP, were not named in the first list.
The party has also announced candidates for some disputed seats within the MVA alliance — Vishal Barbate from Ramtek, Ganesh Dhatrak from Nandgaon and Amar Patil from Solapur South. Shankarrao Gadakh, sitting MLA from the Krantikari Shetkari Party who aligned with Sena (UBT) in 2022, has been given a ticket from Nevasa in Ahmednagar.
In Mumbai, Sameer Desai, former BJP secretary and nephew of late Congress leader Gurudas Kamat, will contest from Goregaon, while Anant Nar has been fielded from Jogeshwari East.
Several new faces are replacing MLAs who switched to the Shinde camp. Pravin Morajkar will contest in Kurla, Udesh Patekar in Magathane and Harshad Kadam in Patan, where he will challenge state minister Shambhuraj Desai. Rahul Patil, son of former MLA Dyaneshwar Patil, has been fielded against minister Tanaji Sawant in Paranda. The list also includes MK Madhvi, who will take on BJP minister Ganesh Naik in Airoli.
Apart from Aaditya Thackeray, the 13 other sitting MLAs renominated include Sunil Prabhu from Dindoshi, Sanjay Potnis from Kalina, Prakash Fatarpekar from Chembur and Rutuja Latke from Andheri East, among others.
However, after the Sena UBT released its first list, senior leader Sanjay Raut said, “There are few mistakes in the Shiv Sena – UBT list released just now. Those will be rectified.”
The upcoming assembly elections are crucial for both factions of the Sena, as this is the first time they will face-off after the split in 2022. In the 2019 assembly elections, the united Shiv Sena had contested 124 seats in alliance with the BJP, winning 56 seats. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has announced its candidates for 45 assembly seats. With Uddhav-led Sena’s first list, two factions are set to take on in at least 24 Assembly constituencies.
You May Like
Photos
