CM Shinde announces MLA Vijay Shivtare as official candidate of Mahayuti in Purandar

In this assembly poll, the Purandar constituency will see a friendly competition between candidates from the Mahayuti alliance

Amid the presence of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) nominee in the fray in Purandar, chief minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde has stressed former MLA Vijay Shivtare as the official candidate of the Mahayuti alliance in the constituency, bringing an end to the speculation and suspense surrounding the candidature.

During the rally on Saturday, CM Shinde started the speech by declaring Shivtare as the official candidate of the Mahayuti alliance. (HT PHOTo)

In this assembly poll, the Purandar constituency will see a friendly competition between candidates from the Mahayuti alliance. Sambhaji Zende from the NCP will compete against former MLA Vijay Shivtare, who is representing the Shiv Sena.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has nominated sitting Congress legislator Sanjay Jagtap who is seeking his second term in the state legislative assembly.

During the rally on Saturday, CM Shinde started the speech by declaring Shivtare as the official candidate of the Mahayuti alliance.

“Shivtare is the official candidate of the Mahayuti alliance and will win. His focus has always been on the development of the Purandar constituency. He is well educated and despite not being the sitting MLA Shivtare brought a good amount of funds for the constituency. Besides, huge efforts have been taken by him for the formation of Phursungi-Uruli Devachi Municipal Council,” he said.

The absence of rallies from senior leaders of the Mahayuti alliance has left voters in Purandar confused about who the official candidate is from Purandar. Both Zende and Shivtare had claimed to be the rightful candidate for the Mahayuti alliance, contributing to voter uncertainty. While CM Shinde held the rally for Shivatre, senior BJP leaders are yet to hold a rally for him.

“We want to remove the tag of drought-prone tehsil from Purandar. A logistic hub will be developed in Purandar. The government has made ₹2,500 crore budget allocation for the hub in Purandar. The airport will benefit the villages in and around the Purandar constituency. Farmers will be able to export their produce. This will create thousands of job opportunities and the locals will be given priority,” Shinde said.

Previously, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar last week on Sunday cancelled the scheduled campaign rally for his party candidate, Sambhaji Zende.