Congress, NCP release more names

Ashish Deshmukh will take on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Nagpur South West

October 04, 2019 05:27 am | Updated 05:27 am IST - Mumbai

Pankaj Bhujbal to contest from Nandgaon.

Pankaj Bhujbal to contest from Nandgaon.

The Congress finalised names of 37 candidates on Thursday while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) released its second list of 20 candidates for the October 21 Assembly elections.

Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA, now with Congress, Ashish Deshmukh will take on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Nagpur South West constituency. The party has also changed candidates for Nandurbar (ST) and Sillod in Aurangabad.

Mr. Deshmukh, son of former senior Congress leader Ranjeet Deshmukh, had contested as BJP candidate from Katol in 2014 and defeated his uncle Anil Deshmukh (NCP). He however resigned before Lok Sabha polls and joined Congress.

The issue of Amravati Assembly seat between Congress and NCP has also been sorted out with Sulbha Khodke contesting from the seat. The party has also fielded sitting Sakri MLA D.S. Ahire.

The Congress list also features two of its sitting MLAs who it was rumoured were set to join either the Shiv Sena or BJP — Malad west MLA Aslam Sheikh and Akkalkot (Solapur district) MLA Siddharam Mhetre.

Apart from Malad west, the Congress has named candidates in seven other constituencies in Mumbai — Ghatkopar east, Ghatkopar west, Versova, Kalina, Bandra west, Wadala and Byculla. Senior party corporator Asif Jakeriya will contest from Bandra west, former corporator George Abraham (Kalina), Baldev Khosa (Versova) and Anand Shukla (Ghatkopar west). The Kalina seat was in the news following the exit for former MLA Kripashankar Singh from the party.

Former MLA Madhukar Chavan will contest from Byculla. While the Congress MLA from Wadala Kalidas Kolambkar defected to BJP, it has named Shivkumar Lad from this seat. Manisha Suryavanshi will contest from Ghatkopar west.

Pandharpur is likely witness a friendly fight between allies Congress and the NCP as both parties have staked claim to it. Congress MLA Bharat Bhalke has switched to the NCP and the Congress has given the ticket to Shivajirao Kalunge.

Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal’s son Pankaj and former Minister Dharmarao Baba Atram will contest from Nandgaon in Nashik and Aheri (ST) in Gadchiroli district.

The NCP has fielded five sitting MLAs. Its list also includes three women — sitting MLA Dipika Chavan (Baglan (ST)), Saroj Ahire (Devlali) and Sulakshana Shilwant (Pimpri). Proving wrong speculations that sitting MLAs Suresh Lad of Karjat in Raigad and Babandada Shinde of Madha in Solapur will join the ruling alliance, the NCP has fielded both. Dhangar community leader Uttamrao Jankar will contest from Malshiras.

With this the NCP has so far announced 97 candidates, and the Congress 140. Both had agreed to contest 125 seats each.

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