In anticipation of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the process of ticket distribution is well underway. In this sequence, Eknath Shinde's faction of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra has released its list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. On Thursday, the list named eight candidates. Sanjay Mandlik has bagged the ticket for the Kolhapur constituency while Hingoli will be represented by Hemant Patil.
Here's the complete lineup:
Indeed, almost an agreement on seat distribution has emerged in Maharashtra among the grand alliance partners. While an official announcement is pending, the BJP is set to contest 28 of Maharashtra's 48 Lok Sabha seats under the NDA coalition. The Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) will compete for 14 seats, and the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) is to be allocated 5 seats. A decision has been made to give one seat to the Rashtriya Samaj Party as well.
Will Shinde also give a ticket to Govinda?
It is buzzing with rumors that actor Govinda may also enter the Lok Sabha race. On Thursday, he visited Maharashtra's Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and thereafter Shinde facilitated his membership in the Shiv Sena party. Now, discussions are ongoing that he could contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. It is speculated that Shinde's party may field Govinda from the Mumbai Northwest Lok Sabha constituency. This seat has been assigned to Amol Kirtikar by the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena.
Potential Shiv Sena Seats
1. Ramtek 2. Buldhana 3. Yavatmal-Washim, 4. Hingoli 5. Kolhapur 6. Hatkanangle, 7. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar 8. Maval, 9. Shirdi 10. Palghar 11. Kalyan, 12. Thane 13. Mumbai South Central 14. Mumbai Northwest
Seats NCP could contest
1. Raigad, 2. Baramati 3. Shirur 4. Nashik 5. Dharashiv
The Rashtriya Samaj Paksh led by Mahadev Jankar could enter the fray from Parbhani.
Potential BJP Seats
1. Nagpur, 2. Bhandara-Gondiya 3. Gadchiroli-Chimur 4. Chandrapur 5. Akola, 6. Amravati 7. Nanded, 8. Latur 9. Solapur 10. Madha 11. Sangli, 12. Satara 13. Nandurbar 14. Jalgaon 15. Jalna, 16. Ahmednagar 17. Beed 18. Pune 19. Dhule 20. Dindori, 21. Bhiwandi 22. North Mumbai 23. North Central Mumbai, 24. North East Mumbai 25. South Mumbai 26. Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg 27. Wardha 28. Raver
BJP has finalized candidates for twenty-three of these seats. Candidate announcements for five seats—North Central Mumbai, South Mumbai, Shirdi, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, and Satara—are forthcoming. If Raj Thackeray's MNS joins the NDA, one of either South Mumbai or Shirdi could be allocated to them.
