Maharashtra Assembly Elections: Shiv Sena (UBT) releases second list of 15 candidates

The Shiv Sena (UBT) released its second list of candidates for the Maharashtra assembly elections on Saturday, adding 15 names. This follows their first list of 65 candidates. Among the new candidates is former BJP MLA Anil Gote, who recently joined the Sena (UBT) and will contest from Dhule City. The list was published in the party’s mouthpiece, Saamna.

The new Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate list includes Raju Tadvi for Chopada, Jayshree Mahajan for Jalgaon City, and former Mumbai Mayor Shraddha Jadhav, who will face BJP’s Kalidas Kolambkar in Wadala. Dhananjay Bodore is set to compete in Kalyan East against BJP’s Sulabha Gaikwad, wife of jailed MLA Ganpat Gaikwad. Raju Tadvi, a former BMC education officer, resigned on Friday to run in the Scheduled Tribe-reserved Chopada constituency.

The candidate list was released even though the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance has yet to finalize a seat-sharing agreement. Tensions have arisen between the Sena (UBT) and Congress over seat claims in Mumbai, especially for the Colaba and Versova seats, both claimed by Sena (UBT). Internal competition within Sena (UBT) has also led to multiple candidates vying for some seats.

The AICC has asked senior leaders to work with Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray to resolve these seat allocation issues. The alliance's final seat-sharing plan is expected to be announced later today as they prepare for the November 20 elections.