Joshi on Sena list for polls

In the last election, Sena fielded journalist Narayan Athavale from the constituency. He was mauled by RPI leader Ramadas Athavale. Initially, it was declared that either Sena supremo Bal Thackeray or Joshi would release the list of nominees for the Lok Sabha and the Assembly, but the much-delayed list was quietly released from Sena Bhavan, the headquarters ofthe party at Dadar on Thursday night. Minister for Forest Chandrakant Khaire will be the party8217;s nominee for the Lok Sabha from Aurangabad, while Vilas Naik will be contesting from Colaba in place of former Thane Mayor Anant Tare, who lost to Ramseth Thakur of the PWP.

Shiv Sena has retained all the sitting MPs and also renominated all those party candidates who were defeated in the last Lok Sabha elections except Narayan Athavale. Union Forest Minister Suresh Prabhu will be contesting from Rajapur, while Anant Gite and Mohan Rawale are party nominees for Ratnagiri and South Central Mumbai. Prakash Paranjape, Madhukar Sarpotdar, Anandrao Adsul have been renominated from Thane, North West and Buldhana constituencies.

The other nominees of the party are : Uttam Dhikale Nasik, Bhavana Gawali Washim, Anant Gudhe Amravati, Subodh Mohite Ramtek, Shivaji Mane Hingoli, Suresh Jadhav Parbhani, Shivaji Kamble Osmanabad, Balasaheb Vikhe Patil Kopargaon, Kisan Bankhele Khed, Hindurao NaikNimbalkar Satara, Vasant Mankumre Karad, Shivajirao Patil Ichalkaranji and Rambhau Chavan Kolhapur.

ASSEMBLY: Chief Minister Narayan Rane, former mayor Vishakha Raut, assembly speaker Datta Nalawade, Transport Minister Gajanan Kirtikar and Law and Judiciary Minister Leeladhar Dake prominently figure in the list of 170 Shiv Sena nominees for the ensuing assembly elections.

As per the understanding between BJP and Sena, the former will contest 117 seats, the remaining 171 will be contested by Sena.

Significantly, Shiv Sena denied nomination to former controversial minister Shashikant Sutar, Gurunath Desai, Suryakant Desai, while no decision has been taken on the nomination of former minister Babanrao Gholap, who is facing corruption charges. Sutar, who was minister for agriculture was sacked from the cabinet after the Justice Puranik Committee indicted him on charges of corruption. Subsequently, he was acquitted by the Justice Dudhat Commission of inquiry.

By and large, the Shiv Sena hasrenominated all the sitting legislators and also those candidates who were defeated in the last elections.Rane has been renominated from his home constituency Malwan, while Nalawade and Dake will be contesting from Worli and Bhadup assembly constituencies respectively. Raut, who is currently chairperson of the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust will be contesting from Dadar assembly constituency represented by Manohar Joshi in the dissolved assembly.

In Mumbai, Prakash Bhawud from Colaba, Hemant Koli from Umarkhadi, Chandrakant Padwal Opera House, Dilip Tammal Nagpada, Bala Nandgaonkar Mazgaon, Dagadu Sapkal Parel, Kalidas Kolambkar Naigaum, Suresh Gambhir Mahim, Baburao Mane Dharavi, Shrikant Sarmalkar Kherwadi, Vinayak Raut Vile Parle, Shantaram Ambre Amboli, Sitaram Dalvi Andheri, Nandkumar Kale Goregaon, Minister for Transport Gajanan Kirtikar Malad, Ratnakar Narkar Trombay, Manohar Salvi Nehru Nagar, Shantaram Chavan Kurla and Leeladhar Dake Bhandup.

Labour Minister SabirShaikh has been renominated from Ambernath, Minister for Rural Development Prabhakar More from Mahad, Housing Minister Sureshdada Jain from Jalgaon, Minister for Marketing Jaiprakash Mundhada from Basmat and Minister for Agriculture Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil from Shirdi.