maharashtra

Updated: Jul 06, 2020 10:18 IST

Even before a formal announcement of its seat-sharing agreement with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was made, Shiv Sena started distributing tickets to some of its sitting legislators and to candidates on seats they are sure to contest.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray also handed over the AB form-- denoting official party candidate-- to his son Aaditya, who is the first Thackeray to enter into electoral politics from the family. Aaditya will contest from Worli assembly constituency in Mumbai, senior party functionaries said.

In a departure from the practice of formally announcing the list of candidates, the Shiv Sena chief on Sunday handed over AB forms to nearly 20 candidates on seats where there was no tussle with the BJP.

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The BJP and Sena leadership is still engaged in a discussion on a few seats for the upcoming Assembly polls on October 21. The BJP convened its Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting on Sunday in New Delhi where candidates for Maharashtra assembly elections were likely to be finalised along with the seat-sharing pact with the Sena.

The meeting was chaired by BJP national president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with BJP working president JP Nadda. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil were also present in the CEC meeting. Senior Sena leaders said that the announcement of the seat-sharing pact is expected on Monday in a joint press conference addressed by Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray.

With Sena announcing its candidates without a formal seat-sharing agreement in place, speculations were raised on the alliance between the saffron parties. However, Sena leader Subhash Desai dismissed it. “The [seat-sharing] announcement will happen in a day or so. Now, the discussion is pending only on a few seats therefore, we have given AB forms to our sitting legislators, and on seats that are decided,” Desai told Hindustan Times.

A party functionary added, “A lot of time has gone into the negotiation, then the ‘Pitra Paksh’. With the inauspicious period over, many of them wanted to start the process of filing nominations. Now, that Uddhav ji has formally given them the tickets they can proceed with their plan to file nominations and chalk out their campaign.”

According to Sena functionaries, the AB forms were distributed to minister of state for home and sitting MLA from Sawantwadi Deepkar Kesarkar, minister of state for water resources and Purandar MLA Vijay Shivtare, minister of state for textiles and animal husbandry and Jalna legislator Arjun Khotkar, Aurangabad west legislator Sanjay Shirsat, Kolhapur North MLA Rajesh Khirsagar, Karvir legislator Chandradip Narke, Hatkanangale MLA Dr Sujit Minchekar, Shahuwadi MLA Satyajeet Patil and Shirol MLA Ulhas Patil.

Two candidates for Mumbai constituencies include incumbent MLA from Shivadi (Sewri) Ajay Chaudhary and Yamini Jadhav for Byculla assembly segment. Former NCP MLA Bhaskar Jadhav, who recently joined the Sena, also got the AB form for Guhagar along with sitting MLAs Uday Samant, Gautam Chabukswar, Rajan Salvi, Anil Babar, Anil Kadam, Yogesh Gholap, Rajabhau Waje, and Sandipanrao Bhumre. Hingoli Assembly segment, where Yogesh Bangar has been a ticket from the Sena, was earlier with the BJP.

The party also gave tickets to Sanjay Baba Ghadge to contest from Kagal in Kolhapur district, Sangram Kupekar to contest from Chandgad in Kolhapur district and senior Sena leader Ramdas Kadam’s son Yogesh to contest from Dapoli in Ratnagiri district. These seats are currently not held by the Sena but expects to get in the seat-sharing deal with the BJP.