Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut announced that the party's initial candidate roster for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra will be officially unveiled on March 26. The list, which is set to include a maximum of 16 names, will represent the opposition party led by Uddhav Thackeray, a key member of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in the state.
The Shiv Sena's (UBT) first list will be declared on March 26. We will declare candidates for 15–16 seats, the Rajya Sabha MP told reporters here. So far, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray has given indications that Amol Kiritkar (Mumbai North-West), Chandrahar Patil (Sangli), and Anant Gete (Raigad) will be party candidates from these three Lok Sabha seats.
Another member of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, the NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) led by Sharad Pawar, has not yet made an official announcement regarding its candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, scheduled for April-May. Meanwhile, the Congress party, also part of the state-level coalition of opposition parties, has declared its candidates for certain constituencies where there are no conflicts with its alliance partners.
The MVA constituents, which are also part of the INDIA bloc, are still in the process of finalizing their seat-sharing arrangement. With 48 Lok Sabha seats, Maharashtra holds the distinction of having the second-highest number of seats after Uttar Pradesh (80). The state is scheduled to conduct its elections in five phases, commencing from April 19.
As the deadline for filing nominations for the first phase, set for April 19, is March 27, it is imperative for political parties yet to announce their candidates for these constituencies to do so by Tuesday.