 "Maharashtra Assembly elections are slated for November 20. Representational Image/Reuters")
The stage is set for Maharashtra Assembly elections as the state goes to poll on Wednesday. Days of painstaking campaigning by regional and national parties will bear fruit after voters decide the fates of over 4,000 candidates fighting for the 288 assembly seats.
After the Lok Sabha debacle, the state elections will be a litmus test for the Bharatiya Janata Party which is contesting in alliance with the breakaway factions of Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party. Meanwhile, for the Congress and Shiv Sena, the polls will be about getting their ground back in the state.
The big fight is among two of the largest alliances in the state – Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi. The election also promises to be a make-or-break situation for political stalwarts like Sharad Pawar, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
The state has witnessed several splits and mergers since the last assembly elections in 2019 with key players spinning, turning, flipping and joining rival parties. The results of the assembly elections on November 23 are expected to bring some stability to the government.
Key constituencies to watch out for
Baramati: A Pawar stronghold, Baramati has become the battleground of the two NCP factions with the key contest this time between Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew Yugendra Pawar
Worli: The high-stake Worli assembly seat in Mumbai will be contested between Shiv Sena (Shinde)’s Milind Deora, who left Congress earlier this year, and Shiv Sena (UBT) scion Aaditya Thackeray. Thackeray junior is the current MLA of Worli
Nagpur South West: Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is contesting the Nagpur South West Seat and up against him is Congress’ Prafulla Gudadhe. Although Fadnavis has won the seat four times, the mood of the city, according to some reports, suggests that the fight will be neck-to-neck
Bandra East: Fighting for the Bandra seat is Zeeshan Siddique, who recently lost his father Baba Siddique, and was inducted into NCP(AP). Siddique will be up against Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Varun Sardesai
Sakoli: Maharashtra Congress Chief Nana Patole eyes a third term in the Sakoli assembly constituency and is contesting against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Avinash Brahmankar
Key candidates
Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena Shinde) from Kopri-Pachpakhadi
Amit Thackeray (MNS) from Mahim
Dhiraj Vilasrao Deshmukh (Congress) from Latur Rural
Chhagan Bhujbal (NCP-AP) from Yevla
Santosh Singh Chandan Singh Rawat (Congress) from Ballarpur
Chandrakant Patil (BJP) from Kothrud
Bherulal Choudhary (Shiv Sena UBT) from Malabar Hill