Maharashtra Elections Key Seats: Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly is all set to be held in a single phase on November 20 and results will be announced on November 23. Here’s a list of high-profile seats in Maharashtra that will witness a tough electoral contest.
Kopri Pachpakhdi Assembly seat
Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde will contest from the Kopri-Pachpakhadi assembly constituency in Thane district. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Kedar Dighe, the nephew of Thane strongman late Anand Dighe, from the seat in an attempt to corner Shinde.
Nagpur South-West Assembly seat
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis filed his nomination from the Nagpur South-West assembly constituency for the November 20 state elections. He is up against Congress’ Praful Gudhadhe.
Fadnavis, who was the chief minister of the state from 2014 to 2019 and for a short tenure of 80 hours in November 2019, has successfully contested the assembly polls for five times from Nagpur — two times from Nagpur West constituency and three times from Nagpur South-West seat. This is his sixth assembly election. He has been an MLA for the past 25 years starting 1999.
Baramati Assembly seat
In his first election since splitting from his uncle Sharad Pawar, NCP chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar filed his nomination for the Baramati assembly constituency. He is set to face his nephew, Yugendra Pawar, who is the candidate for the Nationalist Congress Party – Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP), part of the MVA alliance.
Ajit Pawar has consistently won the Baramati assembly seat in the past seven elections, a family stronghold that he inherited from Sharad Pawar. While he once followed his uncle in politics, he broke away two years ago to lead the NCP with the backing of a majority of the party’s legislators.
Bandra West seat
The Bandra West assembly seat in Mumbai, known for its upscale residences belonging to numerous Bollywood celebrities, will see a contest between Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar and Congress candidate Asif Zakaria. This constituency was a bastion for the Congress party until 2014 when BJP’s Shelar, took control.
Shelar had defeated Asif Zakaria in 2019 by a significant margin of 26,507 votes. In 2014, Shelar triumphed over Baba Siddique, the former Congress MLA who had held the position since 1999 but was recently shot dead.
Worli Assembly seat
The stage is set for an intense showdown in Mumbai’s Worli assembly constituency, featuring an electoral clash between Rajya Sabha member Milind Deora, representing the ruling Shiv Sena, and sitting MLA Aaditya Thackeray from the Shiv Sena (UBT).
Deora, a former Congress leader and Union minister of state, switched to the Shiv Sena prior to this year’s Lok Sabha elections and was later elected to the Rajya Sabha. Although he has a six-year term ahead in the Rajya Sabha, he is now challenging Aaditya Thackeray, the son of former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Mumbadevi Assembly seat
From the Mumbadevi Assembly constituency, BJP spokesperson Shaina NC, who has joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, will compete against sitting Congress MLA Amin Patel.
Mumbadevi is one of the 10 constituencies in Mumbai City district. Amin Patel has remained undefeated in this constituency, comprising Muslim-dominated pockets, since 2009. In 2019, Patel defeated Shiv Sena (undivided) candidate Pandurang Sakpal by around 23,000 votes.
Mahim Assembly seat
The Mahim Assembly constituency in central Mumbai is gearing up for a three-way battle featuring Amit Thackeray, son of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, current Shiv Sena MLA Sada Sarvankar, and Mahesh Sawant from Shiv Sena (UBT).
Tensions are escalating in the Mahayuti alliance as the BJP has announced its support for Amit Thackeray, while its ally, the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, has opted to back their incumbent MLA. Both parties remain steadfast in their choices.