After the recent meeting of the Congress’ Central Election Committee to finalize candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Maharashtra’s party President Nana Patole announced that candidates for 12 seats have been confirmed. He further mentioned that discussions for the remaining seats will be held with Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar today.
“We have discussed around 18-19 seats in Maharashtra, finalized 12 seats, and will meet with Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray tomorrow morning. All seats will be announced by tomorrow or the day after,” said Nana Patole.
The Central Election Committee meeting was attended by Sonia Gandhi, K C Venugopal, and other panel members. Rahul Gandhi, also a panel member, was absent from the meeting.
Regarding the Maharashtra candidates list, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala stated, “We will announce some seats now and later announce the rest. Maha Vikas Aghadi remains united, and we are moving forward together.”
The panel, led by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, is deliberating on candidates for Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.
Congress MP KC Venugopal mentioned, “Candidates’ announcements can be expected anytime.” The Congress has so far announced 82 candidates in two lists for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, political allegiances are shifting rapidly. Bajrang Sonawane, previously aligned with Ajit Pawar’s faction within the NCP, joined Sharad Pawar’s NCP in a significant move. Sonawane, a supporter of Ajit Pawar and Dhananjay Munde, contested against Pritam Munde in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
During an event in Pune, Sonawane expressed his decision to join Sharad Pawar’s camp, ready to take on any responsibility. He pledged full support to the NCP’s candidate from Beed, reflecting his loyalty to the party and the sentiments of party workers.
Sharad Pawar welcomed Sonawane back, acknowledging his past electoral performance. Pawar assured careful consideration of fielding Sonawane in the upcoming elections, highlighting the importance of thoughtful candidate selections based on broader considerations rather than localized issues.