Adopting the safe path, the Maharashtra Congress has chosen to rely mostly on political veterans, incumbents, plus a few defectors, in the first list of 48 candidates for the upcoming state Assembly elections, officials said here on Friday.
Amid a lot of misgivings, furtive looks over the shoulder, and brain-storming sessions with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and, Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress released its list late on Thursday for the November 20 elections.
Among the expected names are state party President Nana F. Patole (Sakoli), Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar (Brahmapuri), Congress Legislature Party Leader Balasaheb Thorat (Samgamner), former CM Prithviraj Chavan (Karad South), figure among 27 MLAs who are being repeated.
Congress Working President M. Arif Naseem Khan who lost narrowly in 2019, has been re-nominated from Chandivli (Mumbai), while the state Parliamentary Board Member Syed Muzaffar Hussain will contest from his home turf Mira-Bhayander (Thane).
The Congress bolt is an OBC candidate, Prafull V. Gudadhe-Pail, who will lock horns against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in Nagpur South-West, making it one of the key contests in the state, given the current mood among the Marathas and OBCs.
Former CM and ex-Union Minister, late Vilasrao Deshmukh’s sons Amit and Dhiraj, have got a double bonanza – tickets from their same constituencies Latur City and Latur Rural, respectively, while Aslam Shaikh and Amin A. Patil have been given tickets from Malad West and Mumbadevi constituencies respectively, in Mumbai.
Vikas P. Thakre, who wrestled BJP’s Union Minister Nitin Gadkari unsuccessfully in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, has been re-nominated for the Nagpur West seat, while incumbent Nitin K. Raut will contest Nagpur North (SC reserved) constituency, and Yashomati Thakur from Teosa.
A surprise newcomer nominated from Dharavi (SC) seat in Mumbai is Jyoti Gaikwad -- the younger sister of Mumbai Congress President and Bandra North Central MP Varsha Gaikwad, while Vishwajee Kadam will again contest from Palus-Kedegaon seat.
Among the defectors from BJP who made a ‘ghar-wapasi’ to Congress are Gopal Agarwal of BJP who has bagged a ticket from Gondiya, Sunil Deshmukh (Amravati), besides Minal N. Patil-Khatgaonkar - a close affiliate ex-CM Ashok Chavan -- will fight in Naigaon.
Others rewarded with repeat tickets are Subhash R. Dhote (Rajura), and Ravindra Dhangekar from Kasbapeth, while Shirish M. Chaudhari has been dropped in favour of his son Dhananjay S. Chaudhari (Raver).
Among the new faces are Bhokar where Trupti Kondekar will lock horns with BJP’s Shrijaya A. Chavan, daughter of ex-CM Ashok Chavan, and Prabhavati Ghogare will contest from Shirdi pilgrimage town of Ahmednagar.
A Mumbai Congress leader said that the second list is likely to be released tomorrow after some pending discussions with the MVA partners and smaller allies are completed, and so far, the three allies have released one list each.
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