The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released its first list of 99 candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, including the name of the state’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The BJP’s Central Election Committee selected the candidates during its meeting held on October 16 under the chairmanship of its national president, Jagat Prakash Nadda, according to a communiqué issued by the party’s national General Secretary Arun Singh.

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The BJP has fielded Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis from Nagpur South West Assembly constituency.

In addition to Fadnavis, other prominent candidates include Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Krishnarao Bawankule from the Kamthi constituency, and state ministers Sudhir Sachchidanand Mungantiwar and Girish Dattatray Mahajan. Mungantiwar will contest from the Ballarpur seat, while Mahajan will run from Jamner.

Other candidates on the list include Rajesh Udesingh Padvi from the Shahada seat, Anup Agarwal from Dhule city, Mangesh Ram Chavan from Chalisgaon, Tushar Rathod from Mukhed, Ganesh Naik from Airoli, Vinod Shelar from Malad West, Prashant Thakur from Panvel, Nitesh Narayan Rane from Kankavli, Suresh Khade from Miraj, and Sreejaya Ashok Chavan from Bhokar.

According to the list, the BJP has nominated Sweta Vidyadhar Mahale from Chikhli Assembly constituency, Meghna Bordikar from Jintur, Seematai Mahesh Hiray from Nashik West, and Sulabha Kalu Gaikwad from Kalyan East.

Notably, there will be a direct contest between the BJP-Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led Mahayuti alliance and the Congress, Shiv Sena – Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT), and NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SCP) led Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Elections for the 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra will take place in a single phase on November 20. The last date for filing nominations is October 29, and the counting of votes will occur on November 23, alongside Jharkhand elections.

In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, NCP took 54, and the Congress obtained 44 constituencies.