Maharashtra Elections 2024: Raj Thackeray’s son Amit to make electoral debut from Mahim, MNS declares 45 candidates

Maharashtra Elections 2024: The son of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray, Amit Thackeray, is all set to make his electoral debut from Mahim assembly seat in central Mumbai. Amit's name was in the list the 45 candidates declared by the MNS ahead of the Maharashtra elections.

The MNS released its first list of 45 candidates for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls on Tuesday. Of the 45 candidates, Pramod Patil, the only MNS MLA in the outgoing assembly, was renominated from Kalyan rural seat in neighbouring Thane district.'

It fielded Sandeep Deshpande from Worli in south-central Mumbai where he is likely to take on Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray. Shirish Sawant will contest from Bandup West, Avinash Jadhav from Thane, Sainath Babar from Hadapsar, Sandeep desai from Versova, Sandeep Kulthe from Ghatkopar East and Ganesh Chukkal from Ghatkopar West.

Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly are likely to be held on November 20. The results will be announced on November 23. The key fight is between the Mahayuti and the Maha Aghadi Vikas (MVA).

Mahayuti is an alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Meanwhile, the MVA consists of the Congress, Sharad Pawar's NCP-SP and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena-UBT. Both alliances are yet to declare their seat-sharing arrangements.

The BJP released its first list of 99 candidates on on October 20. The MVA is yet to announce its seat-share pact and candidates.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) said that as many as 57 candidates filed nomination papers on Tuesday, the first day of the exercise for the November 20 assembly polls in Maharashtra.

Of the half a dozen major parties that make up the ruling Mahayuti and opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), only the BJP has declared its first list which carries names of 99 candidates, news agency PTI reported.

The nomination process ends on October 29 and papers of candidates will be scrutinised the next day. The last day to withdraw nomination papers is November 4. Polling for the 288-member assembly will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.

In the 2019 Maharashtra Elections, the Congress and unified Shiv Sena won 154 out of 288 seats as part of the MVA. However, this time around, the Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar's NCP and Congress are in alliance to counter the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance.