NCP declares first list of 38, Ajit Pawar to contest from Baramati for 8th time

MUMBAI: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Ajit Pawar, announced its first list of 38 candidates on Wednesday. Pawar, who serves as both party president and deputy chief minister in the Mahayuti government, will contest from the Baramati assembly constituency for the eighth time. The NCP’s Maharashtra president Sunil Tatkare announced the 38 candidates and said that the names of the rest would be revealed on Thursday.

Conspicuous by their absence from the first list are the candidates for Mumbai’s 36 seats. Neither Nawab Malik nor Zeeshan Siddique, both sitting MLAs from Mumbai, figure, and neither does Malik’s daughter, Sana Malik, a potential candidate for the Anushakti Nagar seat. Sana had planned to file her nomination on Wednesday but could not.

The initial list largely comprises sitting MLAs who shifted their allegiance to Ajit during the NCP split in June 2023. All nine ministers currently serving in the Mahayuti government have been included: Chhagan Bhujbal from Yeola constituency, Dilip Walse Patil from Ambegaon, Dhananjay Munde from Parli, Hasan Mushrif from Kagal, Dharmrao Atram from Aheri, Aditi Tatkare from Shrivardhan, Anil Patil from Amalner and Sanjay Bansode from Udgir.

In a few cases, preference has been given to those who joined the NCP recently like former Congress MLAs Hiraman Khoskar, who will contest from Igatpuri, and Sulbha Khodke who will fight from Amravati. The party has also chosen former BJP leader Rajkumar Badole over Manohar Chandrikapure, its sitting MLA from Arjuni-Morgaon. Badole was inducted into the NCP a mere two days ago.

NCP insiders revealed that as with Chandrikapure, the party is not likely to give a ticket to Sunil Tingre, the sitting MLA from Vadgaon Sheri, as the BJP is keen on the seat. “However, the NCP leadership has asked the BJP to concede Hadapsar if it wants the Vadgaon-Sheri constituency,” said an NCP insider. Another bone of contention is the Ashti seat, which the BJP wants for Suresh Dhas but which the NCP leadership is loath to give up. “This issue is yet to be resolved,” said another NCP leader.

Among the sitting MLAs who have been nominated by the party are Atul Benke, Chetan Tupe and Narhari Zirwal, who were all seen hobnobbing with the rival Sharad Pawar-led NCP in the last few months. Tupe will contest from Hadapsar, Benke from Junnar and Zirwal from the Dindori assembly constituency. The NCP has also nominated two assembly poll debutants—Nirmala Vitekar, mother of party MLA Rajesh Vitekar—and Najeeb Mulla. While Vitekar will contest from the Pathri constituency, Mulla has been nominated for the Mumbra-Kalwa seat.

Interestingly, the list is dominated by western Maharashtra seats. The candidates are Ajit Pawar (Baramati), Dilip Walse Patil (Ambegaon), Makarand Patil (Wai), Dilip Mohite Patil (Khed Alandi), Sangram Jagtap (Ahmednagar City), Dattatray Bharne (Indapur), Hasan Mushrif (Kagal), Anna Bansode (Pimpri), Ashutosh Kale (Kopargaon), Kiran Lahamte (Akole), Sunil Shelke (Maval), Atul Benke (Junnar), Yashwant Mane (Mohol), and Chetan Tupe (Hadapsar).

Anil Patil, relief and rehabilitation minister, who is an NCP MLA from Amalner constituency in Jalgaon, said, “My name has been announced as a Mahayuti candidate. I will work for the development of Amalner with the support of allies.”