Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena has announced its first list of 45 candidates for the upcoming assembly elections, marking the party's debut under his leadership. The list includes Shinde, nine ministers, and most MLAs. Before filing his nomination, Shinde visited Guwahati and offered prayers at Kamakhya Devi.
Two and a half years ago, a significant political upheaval occurred in Maharashtra when Shinde led a revolt within Shiv Sena, taking many MLAs to Guwahati. This dramatic turn of events resulted in a power shift, with Shinde forming a government in alliance with the BJP and subsequently taking the oath as chief minister. He also visited Guwahati for blessings from Kamakhya Devi, accompanied by his party's MLAs.
In the candidate list announced late Tuesday, Minister Uday Samant is nominated from Ratnagiri, while his brother Kiran Samant will contest from Rajapur. Although Ravi Rana's party sought the Daryapur seat in Amravati district, Shinde Sena has nominated Abhijit Adsul there. Yamini Jadhav, who lost in the Lok Sabha elections, will run from Byculla, and Manisha Vaikar, wife of MP Ravindra Vaikar, is nominated from Jogeshwari East. The list features three women candidates.