In a significant development ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, BJP state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule has been selected to contest from the Kamthi assembly constituency. Expressing gratitude to the party's high command for entrusting him with this responsibility, Bawankule stated, "We will work hard and will win this seat." Celebrations erupted outside Bawankule's residence following the announcement, with supporters and party workers cheering his candidature. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its first list of 99 candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will contest from his stronghold, Nagpur South West.
The list also includes the names of Mumbai BJP president Ashish Selar, fielded from the Vandre West seat, and senior party leader and Lok Sabha MP Narayan Rane's son Nitesh Rane, fielded from Kankavli, a seat he currently represents in the assembly. Other key candidates include Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar from Vandre West, Nitesh Rane from Kankavli, Girish Mahajan from Jamner, Sudhir Mungantiwar from Ballarpur, Mangal Prabhat Lodha from Malabar Hill, Rahul Narwekar from Colaba, and Chhatrapati Shivendra Raje Bhosale, a descendant of Chatrapati Shivaji, from Satara. Maharashtra is set to hold assembly elections for the 288 seats on November 20, with results to be announced on November 23.
The Mahayuti alliance, which includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has not announced their seat-sharing deal for the assembly elections. The BJP is aiming to contest about 150 seats but is facing tough negotiations with its allies.In the 2019 elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray-Eknath Shinde faction united) secured 56, and Congress claimed 44. In the 2014 elections also, the BJP had a stronger showing with 122 seats, while Shiv Sena secured 63, and Congress won 42 seats.However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the BJP-led Mahayuti won only 17 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra, while the Congress-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) secured 30 seats.