Maharashtra polls: Sena fields Shaina NC, BJP Mumbai candidate list ruffles feathers in party

BJP and Shiv Sena announced their candidate lists, with BJP fielding 25 and Sena 15. Congress and NCP also revealed new candidates amid party shifts

MUMBAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena both announced their third list of candidates on Monday evening. While the BJP has 25 candidates on its list, the Sena has 15, two seats of which have been given to their allies.

BJP’s Shaina NC (Yogen Shah)

Meanwhile, Congress declared its fifth list of four candidates and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) announced its fourth list, comprising seven names.

The BJP list features deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s personal assistant Sumeet Wankhede, Parag Shah, Versova’s sitting MLA Bharati Lavhekar and Malshiras MLA Ram Satpute while the Sena list, among others, has two candidates who joined the party in the last 48 hours: Shaina NC, who was with the BJP, and BJP minister Raosaheb Danve’s daughter Sanjana Jadhav.

Shaina has been given a ticket from Mumbadevi constituency opposite Amin Patel of the Congress. She was earlier keen to contest from the Worli constituency, but Shinde decided to field MP Milind Deora opposite the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Aaditya Thackeray. Sanjana Jadhav will contest from Kannad in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar.

The BJP’s three Mumbai seats, announced after a delay due to the lack of consensus on nominees, led to strong reactions from some party leaders. In Borivali, which is considered one of the BJP’s most favourable seats, sitting MLA Sunil Rane has been dropped and BJP general secretary Sanjay Upadhyay nominated. Former MP Gopal Shetty, who was also eyeing the Borivali seat, hit out at the BJP leadership for this.

“Borivali is not a dharmashala where anybody can come and contest,” he said. “I am a BJP worker who ardently follows party ideology. I am not going to quit the party. I will check with party workers and voters and then decide on the further course of action.”

Former minister and six-term MLA Prakash Mehta was interested in the Ghatkopar East seat but the party has renominated Parag Shah, who had declared assets of ₹500.6 crore in the 2019 assembly polls. Internal party surveys had negative reports on Bharati Lavhekar’s candidature from Versova.

Sitting independent MLA Kishor Jorgewar who joined the party on Sunday has been announced as its candidate from Chandrapur. State minister and senior party leader Sudhir Mungantiwar had initially opposed Jorgewar’s induction but the central leadership’s diktat compelled him to give in.

In Vasai, the BJP has fielded Sneha Dubey, daughter of activist Vivek Pandit and wife of local Shiv Sena (Shinde) leader Premnath. Former union minister Shivraj Chakurkar’s daughter-in-law Archana Chakurkar will face Congress leader and former minister Amit Deshmukh from Latur city. The party has pitted Charansingh Thakur against NCP (SP) leader and former home minister Anil Deshmukh ‘s son Salil from Katol in Nagpur.

Jitesh Antapurkar, close confidente of former chief minister Ashok Chavan, has been nominated from Deglur in Nanded. After Ashok Chavan switched loyalties and joined the BJP early this year, Antapurkar, a sitting Congress MLA, too almost quit the party. He joined the BJP later in August.

In Vidarbha, the party has pitted Ashish Deshmukh in Saoner against the Congress’ Anuja Kedar, wife of senior leader and former MLA Sunil Kedar. Former Nagpur mayor Pravin Datke has been pitted from Nagpur Central against Girish Pandav of the Congress. The BJP has fielded former party MLA Raju Todsam from Arni by dropping sitting MLA Sandeep Dhurve.

Shaina NC of the Shiv Sena was trying to develop the Byculla constituency when she was in the BJP but the Shiv Sena took it and fielded Yamini Jadhav. On being asked why she shifted to the Sena, she replied, “Wherever one chooses to work, if one works with conviction, one will always be the voice of the voter.”

In the Ghansawangi area of Jalna, the Shiv Sena has given a ticket to Hikmat Udhaan, a retired additional collector who recently switched loyalties from the Shiv Sena (UBT). He will contest against the NCP (SP)’s Rajesh Tope.

The party has given the Hatkanangle seat to the Jansurajya Party, which has nominated Ashok Mane and the Shirol constituency to the Rajashree Shahuvikas Aghadi which has given a ticket to Rajendra Yedravkar.

Meanwhile, the Congress, in its fifth list, has nominated Hira Devasi from Colaba, Chetan Narote from Solapur City Central, Sajid Khan from Akola West and replaced Madhurimaraje Chhatrapati as their candidate for Kolhapur North constituency.

The NCP (SP), in its fourth list, has decided to replace former home minister Anil Deshmukh with his son Salil, who has been nominated from Katol assembly constituency. Deshmukh, a five-term MLA, had been requesting the party leadership to field his son. Salil Deshmukh will face Charansing Thakur of the BJP.

The Sharad Pawar-led party has given an opportunity to former MLA Ramesh Thorat from Daund assembly constituency. Thorat was an independent MLA from the constituency from 2009-14 and had joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction during the party split. He will face two-term BJP MLA Rahul Kul, a close aide of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

BJP leader Vaibhav Patil, who joined the NCP (SP) recently, has been fielded from Khanapur, Prabhakar Gharge from Man, Aruna Pisal from Wai, Sharad Mend from Pusad and Sandeep Bedse from Sindkheda assembly seat.