Poonam Mahajan to debut in state polls

Poonam Mahajan, daughter of late Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pramod Mahajan, will contest her first election on October 13, reports Rajendra Aklekar.

Poonam Mahajan, daughter of late Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pramod Mahajan, will contest her first election on October 13.

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Poonam (29), who was denied a ticket for the Lok Sabha polls, was among the first 66 candidates announced by the BJP on Saturday.

Poonam will contest from Ghatkopar (West) while legislator Prakash Mehta will contest from Ghatkopar East.

Mumbadevi legislator Raj Purohit will contest from Colaba, Mangal Prabhat Lodha from Malabar Hill and city BJP president Gopal Shetty from Borivli.

Young corporator Ashish Shelar will contest from Bandra West. The alignment in the island city is mostly unchanged except for the new Sion-Koliwada.

Sena is mostly contesting from suburban seats.

The BJP has fielded builder Suresh Haware from Belapur, Navi Mumbai. He will take on NCP minister Ganesh Naik.

The party’s sole Muslim candidate is Dr Jalil Ansari, from Malegaon Central. Pramod Jathar will take on Congress heavyweight Narayan Rane in Kankavli, Konkan.

The candidatures of former MP Kirit Somaiya’s wife Medha from Mulund — she is locked in a tussle with Sardar Tara Singh — and Gopinath Munde’s daughter Pankaja from Parli are awaiting the party election panel’s nod.

Seats like Sewri, Worli, Mahim, Byculla, Andheri, Versova, Bhandup Vikhroli and Mankhurd have gone to the Sena. The alignment in the island city is mostly unchanged except for the new Sion-Koliwada seat, which the BJP got. In Thane, the Sena has retained a seats like Thane, Kalyan, Bhiwandi, Dahanu and Palghar. The BJP has Dombivli, Ulhasnagar and Vikramgadh.