BJP's Candidate Surge: New Faces in Maharashtra Assembly Polls

The BJP has unveiled its third list of candidates for the Maharashtra assembly polls, endorsing Congress defectors and key aides of Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis. With elections scheduled for November, significant seats have been filled with familiar and new political figures, including four female candidates.

On Monday, the BJP released its third list of 25 candidates for the Maharashtra assembly elections, featuring two Congress defectors and the personal assistant of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. This takes the total number of announced candidates to 146 for the 288-member assembly, with polling set for November 20 and results due on November 23.

The list includes Jitesh Antapurkar, a former Congress member close to Ashok Chavan, now nominated from Deglur. Archana Patil-Chakurkar, a BJP newcomer and relative of Congress stalwart Shivraj Patil, will contest from Latur City. Sumit Wankhede, Fadnavis's loyal assistant, is fielded from Arvi. In Nagpur, Ashish Deshmukh carries familial political legacy forward, representing Savner.

Continuing its focus on women's representation, the BJP's latest slate includes four female candidates: Bharti Lavekar from Versova, incumbent MLA; Archana Patil-Chakurkar from Latur City; Sneha Dube from Vasai; and Sai Prakash Dahake from Karanja. These selections highlight the party's strategy to bolster its political base by integrating familiar names with fresh contenders.

(With inputs from agencies.)