23 October,2024 12:29 PM IST | Guwahati | mid-day online correspondent
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde. File Pic
Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde exuded confidence in the Mahayuti alliance winning the Maharashtra assembly elections 2024 with a big majority, reported news agency ANI.
"This is the first list (of candidates for Maharashtra assembly elections 2024), next 2nd list will come, we will then contest the elections, then Mahayuti will win with a big majority," he said, reported ANI.
Shinde arrived in Guwahati on Tuesday evening and he will offer prayers at the famous Maa Kamakhya Temple today.
Earlier on Tuesday, Shiv Sena released its first list of candidates 45 candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections 2024.
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Unprecedented period in Maharashtra politics as state votes today
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will contest from the Kopri-Pachpakhadi Assembly constituency.
Other candidates included in the list are Manisha Ravindra Waykar from Jogeshwari (East), Suhas Dwarkanath Kande from Nandgao, Pradip Shivnarayan Jaiswal from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (middle) and Balaji Devidasrao Kalyankar from Nanded North.
Sada Sarvankar has been fielded from the Mahim seat against Raj Thackeray's son Amit Thackeray.
As per the list released late Tuesday night, the ruling party has re-nominated almost all the MLAs who backed Shinde when he led a revolt against the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022.
With this, the Shiv Sena has become the second major political party to release its list of candidates for the state assembly polls. Its ally BJP released a list of 99 candidates on Sunday.
The party has pushed for CM Shinde to be presented as the face for the chief ministerial position in its recent meeting held on October 18, reported ANI.
As the polling date draws near, both the ruling Mahayuti alliance comprising the BJP alongside the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) -- comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Congress -- have intensified their preparations.
In the 2019 assembly elections in Maharashtra, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and Congress won 44 seats. In 2014, the BJP won 122 seats, Shiv Sena secured 63, and Congress won 42 seats.
The Maharashtra assembly elections 2024 to the 288-member assembly will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.
(With inputs from ANI)
