The dates for the Maharashtra assembly elections have been announced. Voting for the state's 288 seats is set for October 20. Before this, political dynamics are in full swing. A setback may be looming for Ajit Pawar's NCP, part of the Mahayuti alliance. Mumbai's acting president, Narendra Rane, is poised to join the Sharad Pawar faction.
Narendra Rane, alongside Maharashtra's three general secretaries Vilas Mane, Dinkar Tawde, and Vijay Desai, had a meeting today with Sharad Pawar at Mumbai's Y B Chavan Center. This has led to a surge of political excitement.
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Sameer Bhujbal May Add to Ajit Pawar's Challenges
According to sources, Ajit Pawar is cautious about the next move of Mumbai president Sameer Bhujbal. Notably, Senior Leader Chhagan Bhujbal's nephew, Sameer Bhujbal, is also keen on contesting from the Nandgaon assembly constituency in Nashik district. However, the current MLA Suhas Kande aligns with the Shinde faction. NCP workers are advocating for this seat for Sameer Bhujbal. They have declared that they will not support Suhas Kande in Nandgaon. Consequently, speculation is rife that Sameer Bhujbal is considering contesting elections either under NCP's Sharad faction or UBT.
For the record, election dates in Maharashtra have been set. Votes across all 288 seats will be cast in a single phase on November 20, and counting will occur on November 23. Currently, Maharashtra is governed by a Mahayuti coalition led by Eknath Shinde. Apart from Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also part of the ruling alliance.
