Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will officially announce the Shiv Sena candidates on Tuesday as the seat-sharing of the Grand Alliance is in its final stages, MP Sanjay Mandlik has disclosed. In the Grand Alliance, the Shinde group will get 13 seats, whereas the BJP and NCP will be receiving 30 and 5 respectively. A final confirmation is expected in the next two days.
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Sanjay Mandlik's candidature from Kolhapur was expected to be canceled. Mandlik spoke to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde over the phone. "You keep working. The chief minister has said that all of you have been nominated and the candidates will be announced tomorrow," Mandlik said.
Will candidates change in three seats?Ramtek: Raju Parve, Washim-Yavatmal: Sanjay Rathod, Thane: Pratap Sarnaik, Kalyan-Dombivali: Shrikant Shinde, South Central Mumbai: Rahul Shewale, Maval: Shrirang Barne, Kolhapur: Sanjay Mandlik, Hatkanangle: Dhairyashil Mane, Buldhana: Prataprao Jadhav, Shirdi: Sadashiv Lokhande are the 10 candidates who are almost certain. The Shinde faction is likely to release the list of candidates for the first and second phases on Tuesday. Similarly, the BJP is learned to have suggested changing candidates for three seats.
BJP MLAs keen on Nashik seatNashik MP Hemant Godse along with party workers held a massive show of strength at Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's residence. BJP office-bearers in Nashik met Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at Sagar bungalow in Nashik amid demands that the Nashik seat should remain with the Shinde group. In a meeting with Fadnavis, it was insisted that the BJP should get the Nashik seat. MlAs Devyani Farande, Seema Hire, Rahul Dhikle, Rahul Ahire and BJP leaders Dinkar Patil and Kedar Aher were present on the occasion.
Thackeray group's Announcement Sanjay Raut of the Thackeray group said that the list of the first 15 candidates of the Shiv Sena's Thackeray faction will be released on Tuesday, adding they will win even if the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi's Prakash Ambedkar is not with the MVA.