Mumbai, Nov 18 (IANS) As the showdown between the MahaYuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is imminent in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, it is also hogging the headlines as the heavyweights battle for their supremacy in various constituencies.
The Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who led the rebellion in June 2022 and later headed the MahaYuti government for the last two and half years, is engaged in a direct fight against his mentor and former Thane district chief of Shiv Sena (united) Anand Dighe’s nephew Kedar Dighe from the Kopri-Panchpakhadi constituency in his home turf Thane.
The Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who is contesting for the fourth time, is pitted against the Congress nominee Pramod Gudadhe from Nagpur South West constituency.
The NCP President and Deputy Chief Minister AJit Pawar, who deserted his uncle and joined the MahaYuti in July 2023, is taking on his nephew and NCP-SP candidate Yugendra Pawar from the Baramati constituency.
A veteran OBC leader and NCP Minister Chhagan Bhujbal faces a challenge for his fifth win in a row in the Yevala seat from NCP-SP candidate Manikrao Shinde from the Maratha community. The contest is important against the backdrop of recent protests over the Maratha and OBC reservations.
Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray is locked in a triangular contest against former union minister and Shiv Sena nominee Milind Deora and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) nominee Sandip Deshpande from Worli constituency with a sizeable Marathi-speaking population.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s son and party nominee Amit Thackeray during his electoral debut faces a challenge from Shiv Sena’s three-term legislator Sada Sarvankar and Shiv Sena UBT nominee Mahesh Sawant from Mahim constituency.
State Congress chief Nana Patole is fighting against the BJP nominee Avinash Brahmankar from the SAakoli constituency. Congress nominee and former minister Amit Deshmukh, who is the son of former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, is engaged in a direct fight against BJP nominee Archana Patil, who is the daughter-in-law of veteran Congress leader and former union minister Shivraj Patil, from Latur city.
His brother Dhiraj Deshmukh is taking on BJP’s member of the legislative council Ramesh Karad, an education baron, from the Latur rural constituency.
Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar is pitted against Congress nominee Asif Zakaria from Bandra West constituency, state assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar against Congress nominee Hira Devasi from Colaba seat, BJP minister Mangalprabhat Lodha against Shiv Sena UBT nominee Bhairu Chaudhari from Malabar Hill constituency and former BJP spokesperson Shaina NC, who is now Shiv Sena nominee, against Congress candidate Amit Patel from Mumbadevi constituency.
After former MP Gopal Shetty decided not to defy the BJP line, BJP nominee Sanjay Upadhyay has heaved a sigh of relief and he is fighting against Shiv Sena UBT nominee Udesh Patekar.
NCP Minister Hasan Mushrif is pitted against NCP-SP nominee Samarjeetsingh Ghatge from Kagal constituency, another NCP minister Dhananjay Munde against NCP-SP nominee Rajesaheb Deshmukh from Parli, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule against Congress candidate Suresh Bhoyar and BJP minister Atul Save against MIM candidate and former MP Imtiyaz Jaleel from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar East. Former minister Harshvardhan Patil, who left the BJP and joined the Sharad Pawar faction, is locked in a direct fight against NCP nominee Datta Mama Bharne.
Former union minister and BJP MP Narayan Rane’s son and party nominee Nitesh Rane is seeking re-election from the Kankavli seat against Shiv Sena UBT nominee Sandesh Parkar.
Rane’s other son and former MP Nilesh Rane left BJP and joined Shiv Sena before the last date of filing nominations. Nilesh Rane is locked in a direct fight against Shiv Sena UBT nominee Vaibhav Naik from the Kudal constituency. Naik had defeated Narayan Rane, who had contested as the Congress nominee in the 2014 elections.
Former minister and NCP nominee Nawab Malik is contesting against Samajwadi Party nominee Abu Azmi from the Mankhurd-Shivajinagar constituency while Malik’s daughter and NCP candidate Sana Malik is pitted against NCP-SP nominee Farhad Ahmad from Anushaktinagar seat.
NCP-SP nominee Jitendra Awhad is fighting against his former associate and the NCP candidate Najeeb Mulla from the Mumbra-Kalwa constituency.
(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)
–IANS
sj/dan
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
