Maharashtra's United Front: No Rebel Candidates in Upcoming Assembly Polls

Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan assured on Friday that the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Mahayuti alliance will present a unified stance in the upcoming assembly elections. Despite internal tensions, Mahajan expressed confidence in securing a larger mandate than in 2019. The elections are set for November 20, with results on November 23.

Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan announced on Friday that there would be no rebel candidates from either the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or the Mahayuti alliance in the forthcoming assembly elections. Mahajan affirmed the coalition's intent to contest as a united front, predicting a stronger mandate than their 2019 performance. His statements followed the decision of the Nationalist Congress Party's Ajit Pawar faction to nominate Nawab Malik, and the Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde faction fielding Suresh 'Bullet' Patil in response.

The BJP has expressed its displeasure over Nawab Malik's nomination, with party leader Kirit Somaiya calling Malik a 'terrorist' and denouncing the Ajit Pawar-led NCP's decision as a betrayal. Nawab Malik faces competition from the Yuti's official candidate Suresh 'Bullet' Patil and Samajwadi Party's incumbent MLA, Abu Azmi. Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar criticized the nomination given the grave allegations against Malik, emphasizing that the BJP cannot support such associations.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar maintained that clarity on candidate placements would emerge before November 4. The Mahayuti alliance, consisting of BJP, NCP (Ajit Pawar), and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), will oppose the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, which includes Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray). The assembly elections are slated for November 20, with results declared on November 23.

(With inputs from agencies.)