Maharashtra Elections 2024: Ajit Pawar To Contest From Baramati, Chhagan Bhujbal From Yeola; NCP Releases First List Of Candidates With 38 Names

Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) released its first list of candidates consisting of 38 names. Dy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar will be re-contesting from his hometown Baramati. The list includes other prominent names like Chhagan Bhujbal from Yeola, Hasan Mushrif from Kagal, Dhanahjay Munde from Parali, Dilip Walse-Patil from Ambegaon and other sitting MLAs.

Check the full list here:

The list was announced by the NCP state president Sunil Tatkare on Wednesday. The party has chosen many familiar faces.

Ajit Pawar Finally Decides To Recontest From Baramati

The Baramati in Pune district, the hometown and political bastion of Pawar family, is one of the hottest seats in Maharashtra. After the split in NCP, the politics in Baramati have taken several twists and turns. In Lok Sabha 2024 polls, the NCP had fielded Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar against the sitting MP and her sister-in-law Supriya Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar. In the fierce battle, Supriya Sule from NCP Sharad Pawar faction retained the Baramati LS seat.

After Lok Sabha, it is expected that another Pawar v/s Pawar battle will be witnessed in Baramati. It is likely that the NCP Sharad Pawar faction will field Yugendra Pawar from Baramati assembly seat. Yugendra is son of Ajit Pawar's younger brother, Shrinivas.

Ajit Pawar had expressed his disinterest in recontesting from Baramati, from where he has been elected as MLA eight-times. There was demand from NCP workers to field his son, Jay Pawar in place Ajit Pawar. The Dy CM was also analysing other seats to contest. However, after the official list declared, it is confirmed that the NCP chief will contest from his home seat.

Other Key Leaders

Other key leaders in the NCP's first list are Chhagan Bhujbal from Yeola in Nashik district, which his hometown and political bastion, and Dhananjay Munde from his hometown Parali, from where he had defeated his sister BJP's Pankaja Munde in 2019 assembly polls. State president Sunil Tatkare's daughter Aditi Tatkare has been remoninated from Shrivardhan in Raigad.

Mahayuti Announces Candidates

All Mahayuti partners, BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP have declared their first lists for the state assembly elections. Raj Thackeray's MNS also declared the list on Tuesday. However, none of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) parties have announced their candidates yet.