Mumbai. BJP has released its first list of 99 candidates for the Maharashtra assembly elections. In this, 89 current MLAs have been given tickets again. The party has also fielded family members of some regional stalwarts. These include the daughter of Ashok Chavan, a leader who joined the BJP from Congress. Prominent faces included in the first list released on Sunday include Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar, ministers Girish Mahajan, Sudhir Mungantiwar and Chandrakant Patil. This list includes 13 women candidates.

BJP has retained 89 MLAs in its first list, while three sitting MLAs have been denied tickets. Tickets of some have been put on hold. The party has renominated Devendra Fadnavis from his home turf Nagpur South West, Rahul Narvekar from Colaba in South Mumbai,, and ministers Sudhir Mungantiwar, Girish Mahajan,, and Chandrakant Patil from Ballarpur, Jamner, and Kothrud seats. Mungantiwar contested the Lok Sabha elections from Chandrapur constituency, in which he had to face defeat from his closest Congress rival.

Out of 16 Mumbai MLAs, 14 have been renominated.
Out of the 16 BJP MLAs in Mumbai, the party has renominated 14 in the first list. This list also includes Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar, who has been fielded from the Vandre West seat. At the same time, Nitesh Rane, son of senior party leader and Lok Sabha member Narayan Rane, has been renominated from the Kankavli constituency of coastal Sindhudurg.

It is worth noting that Bawankule, who was a minister in the then Devendra Fadnavis-led government, was denied a ticket from the Kamathi constituency in the 2019 elections. He has represented Kamathi thrice. He has been re-nominated from Kamathi. The BJP has replaced the sitting MLAs from Chinchwad in the Pune district, Kalyan East in the Thane district, and Shrigonda in the Ahilya Nagar district.

In some constituencies, the BJP has given tickets
to the relatives of regional stalwarts. These include Sulabha Gaikwad, the wife of sitting MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, who is in jail for allegedly firing at a rival leader in a police station.

In Mumbai, BJP has fielded its Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar for the third time from Bandra West assembly constituency, while his brother Vinod Shelar will try his luck from Malad West seat. Vinod will challenge Congress's sitting MLA and former minister Aslam Shaikh.

Sulabha Gaikwad will contest from the Kalyan East constituency. His wife Pratibha Pachpute will contest from the Shrigonda segment of Ahilya Nagar district in place of her husband Babanrao Pachpute. Chinchwad MLA Ashwini Jagtap has been given a ticket in place of his brother-in-law Shankar Jagtap. Ashwini had won the by-election from Chinchwad after the death of her husband and sitting MLA Laxman Jagtap.

Perhaps the most high-profile candidate is Shrijaya Chavan, daughter of former Congress leader Ashok Chavan
. She will make her electoral debut from the Bhokar constituency in the Nanded district, which was represented by her father. Chavan senior had joined the BJP before the Lok Sabha elections. He is now a Rajya Sabha member.

The BJP has given a ticket to independent MLA Mahesh Baldi from Uran in Navi Mumbai for the elections to be held on November 20. Former Congress and independent MLA Prakash Awhadhe has made room for his son Rahul Awhadhe in Ichalkaranji.

Phulambri APMC chairperson and state BJP executive member Anuradha Chavan has been nominated from Phulambri constituency in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district in place of Haribhau Bagde, who was holding the seat before he was appointed Rajasthan governor.

Legislative Council member Ram Shinde has been fielded from Karjat Jamkhed constituency. Shinde will take on Rohit Pawar, a sitting MLA of NCP (SP) and grandson of Sharad Pawar.

Let us tell you that elections for the 288-member assembly will be held on November 20. BJP wants to contest about 150 seats in the state, but Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, which are part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, are bargaining hard.