All candidates contesting in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections on 10 seats, including one by-election, are scheduled to be elected unopposed as only a proportionate number of candidates from major political parties have filed their nominations till Thursday, the last day for filing nominations.
This became possible after Congress decided not to contest the elections. The party announced its decision after a meeting with senior leaders of Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) on Thursday.
Meanwhile, former MP Zeeshan Siddiq, son of slain NCP leader Baba Siddiq, has filed his nomination as the NCP’s candidate for the Legislative Council elections on Thursday. He joined the NCP with his father but lost the assembly elections from Vandre East constituency in November 2024.
According to NCP insiders, late NCP chief Ajit Pawar promised to rehabilitate Zeeshan after his defeat. “That is why most of the senior leaders were positive about the nomination,” a senior NCP leader said.
Earlier in the day, the Shiv Sena named its vice-president Neelam Gurhe and Prahar Janshakti Party founder Bachchu Kadu after they joined the Eknath Shinde-led faction.
Like the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena also chose not to field an additional candidate for the elections. In the Mahayoti coalition, the BJP nominated six, the Shiv Sena two (Bachchu Kadu and Neelam Gurhe), and the NCP one (Zeeshan Siddique). Among the opposition, which is vying for only one seat, Sena Party’s (UBT) Ambadas Dhanvi has been nominated.
Of the 10 seats, elections are scheduled to be held every two years with current members retiring on May 13. The 10th seat fell vacant after Congress MLC Pradnya Satav resigned and joined the BJP in December last year. She is one of the BJP candidates in the election fray.
While announcing his party’s support for Dhanvi as the MVA candidate, Congress state president Harshwardhan Sapkal said, “There was a lack of communication. We spoke today for two-and-a-half to three hours. It has been decided that the Congress will bear the primary responsibility of representing the MVA in the next round of elections.”
