Maharashtra Election 2024: The Congress is likely to release its first list of candidates on October 23 as names were finalised on 63 seats. Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan from Karad, and Nitin Raut may feature on the first list of Congress candidates. In preparation for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Congress Central Election Committee (CEC) has finalised candidates for 63 seats, sources revealed. The next meeting of the Central Election Committee is scheduled for 25 October.

During the latest meeting, details about some of the finalised candidates have emerged. Here is a list of potential candidates who may feature in the Congress’s first list:

• Nana Patole: Sakoli
• Prithviraj Chavan: Karad South
• Balasaheb Thorat: Sangamner
• Vijay Wadettiwar: Brahmapuri
• Nitin Raut: Nagpur West
• Aslam Shaikh: Malad West
• Yashomati Thakur: Tiwsa
• Vishwajit Kadam: Palus-Kadegaon
• Amin Patel: Mumbadevi
• Naseem Khan: Chandivali
• Amit Deshmukh: Latur City
• KC Patvi: Akkalkuwa
• Kunal Patil: Dhule Rural

So far, Congress has completed the screening process for 96 seats in Maharashtra. The party expects to secure around 110 seats within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. Discussions regarding alliance-related issues are set to continue, with senior Maharashtra Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat scheduled to meet with Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar in Mumbai on October 22 at 3 pm.

Maharashtra Election 2024: MVA Finalises Seat-Sharing Agreement for 210 Seats, Sanjay Raut Says

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut announced on Monday that the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has reached a seat-sharing agreement for 210 out of the 288 seats in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. The polls are scheduled to take place in a single phase on 20 November, with results to be declared on 23 November.

The announcement from Raut came amid remarks by Congress Maharashtra chief Nana Patole, who stated that discussions regarding his party’s allocation of 96 seats had been completed.

Despite differences over the seat-sharing arrangement, MVA allies—Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (SP)—have been holding discussions with NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar to resolve the remaining issues.

In the run-up to the elections, the opposition parties accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of spreading misinformation. Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP and a key strategist for the Shiv Sena (UBT), took a swipe at the ruling alliance comprising Chief Minister Eknath Shinde‘s Shiv Sena, the BJP, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, saying, “The aim was to ensure the defeat of forces looting Maharashtra.”

He further emphasised, “We have arrived at a consensus on 210 seats. It is a significant achievement. We aim to contest polls as a joint force, and we will defeat the forces looting Maharashtra.”

ALSO READ | MVA Reached Consensus On 210 Seats, Says Sanjay Raut; Mahayuti Likely Finalised Seat-Sharing Formula