Nagpur: Shiv Sena, helmed by CM Eknath Shinde, rolled out its first list of 45 candidates late Tuesday, encompassing six from the Vidarbha region. The constituencies to be contested by the party as part of the Mahayuti alliance comprise Buldhana, Mehkar, Daryapur, Ramtek, Bhandara, and Digras. The party has predominantly reaffirmed its candidates from Vidarbha, aligning with anticipated trajectories.
The CM renominated Sanjay Rathod, cabinet minister, from Digras in Yavatmal.His nomination was substantiated by his stature as a prominent figure within the Banjara community, wielding significant influence in the region. He will be vying for his fourth term.
Among the notable candidates, the names of independent MLAs Ashish Jaiswal from Ramtek and Narendra Bhondekar from Bhandara have already been declared by Shinde, as both are erstwhile Sena MLAs.
The party has renominated incumbent MLA Sanjay Gaikwad from Buldhana city. He had triumphed over Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi's Vijay Shinde in the 2019 polls with a margin of 26,000 votes. However, in the 2014 polls, he succumbed to Congress candidate Harshvardhan Sapkal.
Shinde Sena has reaffirmed its trust in three-time legislator Sanjay Raimulkar by nominating him once again from Mehkar in the Buldhana district. In 2019, he resoundingly defeated Congress candidate Anant Wankhede by an expansive margin exceeding 62,000 votes.
Shinde nominated Capt Abhijit, son of two-time Amravati MP Anand Adsul and former MLA, from the Daryapur constituency. Abhijit had vanquished current MP Balwant Wankhade, who had contested as an independent then, in 2009 by over 14,000 votes. In 2014 and 2019, the seat was allocated to the BJP's quota, and it had fielded Ramesh Bundile as its candidate. In 2014, Bundile defeated Wankhade by over 19,000 votes. However, in 2019, Wankhade avenged the defeat by securing victory with a margin exceeding 30,000 votes.
Jaiswal's official nomination is poised to generate turbulence within Ramtek BJP unit, as former MLA Mallikarjun Reddy had already cautioned of revolt and was even suspended from the party for voicing opposition against CM Shinde. In 2019, Jaiswal contested as an independent defeated Reddy by over 24,000 votes.
Bhondekar contested independently after being denied a ticket and defeated BJP's Arvind Bhaladhare by over 20,000 votes in the 2019 elections.