Shiv Sena Unveils First Candidate List for Maharashtra Polls

The Shiv Sena has released its initial list of 45 candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and several cabinet members will contest from their constituencies. The candidate list includes relatives of current MLAs, and the party awaits finalizing the seat-sharing arrangement with allies.

The Shiv Sena, late Tuesday evening, revealed its initial list of 45 candidates for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will be contesting from Kopri-Panchpakhadi in Thane city, while the list also includes over half a dozen cabinet ministers seeking re-election from their constituencies.

The party continues its strategy by re-nominating many MLAs who supported Shinde's revolt against former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022. Notable figures among the candidates are ministers Gulabrao Patil, Deepak Kesarkar, Abdul Sattar, and Shamburaj Desai, standing from Jalgaon Rural, Sawantwadi, Sillod, and Patan, respectively.

Further, the list embraces familiar political figures with family ties. Kiran Samant, brother of Minister Uday Samant, and Suhas Babar, son of the late legislator Anil Babar, are among the relatives fielded. As the Shiv Sena becomes the second major political party to announce its candidates, coalition arrangements with BJP and NCP remain pending for the 288-member assembly elections.