On Wednesday, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) announced its first list of 38 candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, scheduled for November 20. Party president Ajit Pawar will contest from Baramati, reaffirming his leadership role within the party.
Renominations and Key Changes
The NCP chose to renominate most sitting legislators and ministers, with one notable exception: Manohar Chandrikapure will not receive a ticket for the Arjuni Morgaon seat. Instead, the party has fielded former BJP Minister Rajkumar Badole, who joined the NCP just a day prior to the announcement.
In a significant step towards enhancing gender representation, the party awarded tickets to four women candidates.
Continuity and Strategic Choices
Ajit Pawar prioritized continuity by renominating many legislators who supported him during his rebellion against his uncle, NCP founder Sharad Pawar, in June 2023. Alongside 41 legislators, he joined the MahaYuti coalition. Although he previously hinted he might not contest from Baramati, he confirmed his candidacy for the same seat, following a declaration from working president Praful Patel.
Anticipated Rivalries
Ajit Pawar expects to face a challenging contest against Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew, Yogendra Pawar, in Baramati.
Other Renominated Ministers
The list includes several key ministers who will seek re-election:
– Chhagan Bhujbal (Yevala)
– Dilip Walse-Patil (Ambegaon)
– Hasan Mushrif (Kagal)
– Dhananjay Munde (Parali)
– Dharmaraobaba Atram (Aheri)
– Aditi Tatkare (Shrivardhan)
– Anil Patil (Amalner)
– Sanjay Bansode (Udgir)
Additionally, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal will contest again from the Dindori constituency.
New Candidates and Strategic Moves
The party also nominated Prakash Solanke for the Majalgaon seat, despite his earlier announcement to retire from electoral politics. Other candidates include Makarand Patil (Wai), Manikrao Kokate (Sinnar), Dilip Mohite (Khed Anandi), and newcomers like Hiraman Khoskar, who recently switched from Congress to NCP.
Securing Seats and Future Negotiations
The NCP has secured the Amravati seat, nominating Sulabha Khodke, who was suspended by the Congress party after winning the 2019 Assembly elections from that seat.
As negotiations continue with the BJP and Shiv Sena, the NCP has advocated for a total of 60 seats. However, the three MahaYuti partners have yet to finalize their seat-sharing agreement. The BJP has already announced its first list of 99 candidates, while Shiv Sena released its list of 45 nominees late Tuesday night. With the NCP’s recent announcement, the MahaYuti partners have now declared a total of 182 candidates out of 288.
