NCP releases first list of 38 candidates for Assembly polls

Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday released the first list of its 38 candidates, including Party President Ajit Pawar from Baramati, for the Maharashtra Assembly elections scheduled for November 20. 

The party has renominated its ministers and most of the sitting legislators except Manohar Chandrikapure, who has been denied a ticket from Arjuni Morgaon in Gondia district. It is where former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Rajkumar Badole has been fielded. Badole had joined the party on Tuesday.

The party has given tickets to four women candidates.

Ajit Pawar has preferred continuity by renominating most of its legislators who remained with him, after he staged a rebellion against his uncle and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, in June 2023. Ajit Pawar along with 41 legislators joined the MahaYuti alliance.

Ajit Pawar, who earlier had hogged the headlines after he declared that he may not contest from Baramati, has been renominated from the same seat.

The working president, Praful Patel had declared that Ajit Pawar would fight from Baramati and, thereafter, Ajit Pawar on October 11 said that he would follow the party’s decision.

Ajit Pawar is expected to take on the estranged uncle and NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar’s grand-nephew Yogendra Pawar from the Baramati seat.

The other ministers, who have been renominated, include Chhagan Bhujbal (Yevala), Dilip Walse-Patil (Ambegaon), Hasan Mushrif (Kagal), Dhananjay Munde (Parali), Dharmaraobaba Atram (Aheri), Aditi Tatkare (Shrivardhan), Anil Patil (Amalner) and Sanjay Bansode (Udgir). The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal will fight again from the Dindori constituency.

The NCP has renominated Prakash Solanke (Majalgaon) despite his announcement to retire from electoral politics and request to field his nephew.

The other candidates include Makarand Patil (Wai), Manikrao Kokate (Sinnar), Dilip Mohite (Khed Anandi), Sangram Jagtap (Ahmednagar City), Dattatray Bharane (Indapur), Balasaheb Patil (Ahmedpur), Daulat Daroda (Shahapur), Anna Bansode (Pimpri), Nitin Pawar (Kalvan), Ashutosh Kale (Kopargaon), Kiran Lahamate (Akole), Shekhar Nikam (Chiplun), Atul Benke (Junnar), Yashwant Mane (Mohol), Chetan Tupe (Hadapsar), Saroj Ahire (Devlali), Rajesh Patil (Chandgad), Hiraman Khoskar, who recently quit Congress and joined NCP (Igatpuri), Raju Karemore (Tumsar), Indranil Naik (Pusad), Bharat Gavit, who is the son of former Union Minister Manikrao Gavit (Navapur), Nirmala Vitekar (Pathari) and Najeeb Mulla (Kalwa-Mumbra).

The NCP has got the Amravati seat in its quota where it has nominated Sulabha Khodke, who was recently suspended by the Congress party. Khodke had won the 2019 Assembly elections on a Congress ticket from the seat.

The party has made a strong case to get 60 seats during its negotiations with BJP and Shiv Sena.

The three MahaYuti partners have yet to arrive at a seat-sharing formula. BJP has already announced its first list of 99 candidates last Sunday while Shiv Sena released its first list of 45 nominees late Tuesday night. Thereafter, NCP released its first list of 38 nominees Wednesday. Together the MahaYuti partners have announced 182 of the total 288 candidates.

—IANS

 

Name	Constituency
Ajit Pawar	Baramati
Rajkumar Badole	Morgaon
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
Narhari Zirwal	Dindori
Prakash Solanke	Majalgaon
Makarand Patil	Wai
Manikrao Kokate	Sinnar
Dilip Mohite	Khed Anandi
Sangram Jagtap	Ahmednagar City
Dattatray Bharane	Indapur
Balasaheb Patil	Ahmedpur
Daulat Daroda	Shahapur
Anna Bansode	Pimpri
Nitin Pawar	Kalvan
Ashutosh Kale	Kopargaon
Kiran Lahamate	Akole
Shekhar Nikam	Chiplun
Atul Benke	Junnar
Yashwant Mane	Mohol
Chetan Tupe	Hadapsar
Saroj Ahire	Devlali
Rajesh Patil	Chandgad
Hiraman Khoskar	(Igatpuri
Raju Karemore	Tumsar
Indranil Naik	Pusad
Bharat Gavit	Navapur
Nirmala Vitekar	Pathari
Najeeb Mulla	Kalwa-Mumbra
Sulabha Khodke	Amravati