Ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the ruling Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) helmed by Raj Thackeray unleashed their first lists of candidates in a high-stakes battle for the state.

Late Tuesday night, Shinde’s faction of the Shiv Sena set the stage by naming 45 candidates, with the chief minister leading the charge from Kopri-Panchpakhadi in Thane city.

This bold move reaffirms Shinde’s grip on power, with over half a dozen loyal ministers from his cabinet standing firm by his side, ready to reclaim their seats.

It’s a lineup of political heavyweights — Gulabrao Patil (Jalgaon Rural), Deepak Kesarkar (Sawantwadi), Tanaji Sawant ( Paranda), Uday Samant ( Ratnagiri), Abdul Sattar (Sillod), Shamburaj Desai (Patan), and Dada Bhuse (Malegaon Outer) — all geared up for a fierce electoral fight. The battle lines are drawn, and Shinde’s camp is not backing down.

Meanwhile, in a seismic move of its own, Raj Thackeray’s MNS unveiled its own list of 45 candidates, with none other than Amit Thackeray, Raj’s son, making his much-anticipated political debut. Amit will contest from Mumbai’s Mahim constituency, signaling a new chapter for the Thackeray family.

The stage is set for a fierce contest, especially in Worli, where MNS spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande is poised to take on Shiv Sena’s (Uddhav Thackeray) Aaditya Thackeray in what promises to be one of the most heated battles of the election. The MNS has also re-nominated its lone MLA, Pramod Patil, from the Kalyan rural seat, raising the stakes even higher.

Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) announced on Wednesday that its chief, Ajit Pawar, will run for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections from Baramati, a stronghold of his family. The party also revealed its first list of 38 candidates for the November 20 elections. Among those selected are Dilip Walse-Patil (Ambegaon), Dilip Mohite (Khed Alandi), Atul Benke (Junnar), Anna Bansode (Pimpri), Dattatrata Bharne (Indapur), Sunil Shelke (Maval), and Chetan Tupe (Hadapsar).

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