Maharashtra Assembly Polls: Key leaders vie for 288 assembly seats

Maharashtra polls are seeing a tight battle between the ruling Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliances with several constituencies throwing up interesting contests.

This is the first assembly poll in the state after split in Shiv Sena and NCP. Here is a look at some key leaders in the fray on 288 assembly seats in the state.

Eknath Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is contesting from the Kopri-Pachpakhadi assembly constituency as Shiv Sena candidate. He has won last four elections from the seat. His key electoral rival is Kedar Prakash Dighe of Shiv Sena (UBT), nephew of late Anand Dighe.

Devendra Fadnavis

BJP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister is in the fray from Nagpur South West constituency. This seat has been his stronghold since 1999. He is contesting against Prafulla Vinodrao Gudadhe of Congress.

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Ajit Pawar

NCP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister is contesting from Baramati constituency and has tough fight on hands as NCP (SP) has fielded Yungendra Pawar, grandnephew of former Union Minister Sharad Pawar.

Baramati has been a stronghold of the Pawar family voters and will now have to make a choice due to split in NCP.

Nawab Malik and Sana Malik

Nawab Malik is the NCP candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency. He is MLA from the Anushakti Nagar constituency. As Nawab Malik has changed his battle ground in this election, the mantle for that constituency has been taken up by his daughter and NCP candidate Sana Malik who is making her electoral debut.

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The key contestant against Nawab Malik is Samajwadi Party’s Abu Azmi

Sana Malik will be facing off against Fahad Ahmad, NCP (SP) candidate in Anushakti Nagar.

Zeeshan Siddique

Zeeshan Siddique is NCP candidate from Vandre East. He is the son of murdered NCP leader Baba Siddique. He is contesting against Varun Sardesai of Shiv Sena (UBT).

Aditya Thackeray

He is son of former CM Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from the Worli assembly constituency. He is looking to retain the seat as he won the 2019 assembly polls. In a ‘Sena vs Sena’ showdown, he is facing Shiv Sena’s Milind Deora.

In 2019 he was appointed Maharashtra minister of environment and tourism. He has been president of the Youth Wing of the Shiv Sena Party. Milind Deora is a Rajya Sabha member and a three-time MP from South Mumbai.

Nana Patole

Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole is in the fray from Sakoli constituency and faces BJP’s Avinash Brahmankar. Patole is seeking re-election from the constituency.

Amit Thackeray

Amit Thackeray, son of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) founder Raj Thackeray, is in the fray from Mahim assembly constituency. He is in tough contest against Shiv Sena’s Sada Sarvankar and Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Mahesh Sawant.