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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its first list of 99 candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, signaling the start of its campaign in the State where it plans to contest 150 of the 288 total seats. The list includes 71 sitting MLAs and several prominent party leaders.
Among the key names are Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, and senior ministers Girish Mahajan, Sudhir Mungantiwar, and Chandrakant Patil. Notably, Shreeja Chavan, daughter of former Congress leader and Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, will contest from the Bhokar constituency. Ashok Chavan had recently joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Other former Congress and NCP leaders who switched sides have also received nominations.
The BJP’s candidate list, released on Sunday, includes 13 women candidates, reflecting the party’s effort to appeal to women voters through schemes like the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, which provides a monthly stipend of ₹1,500 to eligible women. Out of the party’s 16 MLAs in Mumbai, 14 have been renominated, while new faces have been introduced in Chinchwad (Pune district), Kalyan East (Thane district), and Srigonda (Ahilyanagar district), replacing the sitting MLAs.
The BJP is currently negotiating with its alliance partners to maximise its share of the seats in what promises to be a fiercely contested election in Maharashtra.
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