Ajit Pawar to contest from Baramati, Mahayuti's first list of candidates to be out on Dussehra: Praful Patel

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) working president Praful Patel on Tuesday said that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will contest from the Baramati assembly constituency. Patel's confirmation came amid speculation the Deputy CM might scout a safer constituency such as Shirur after his cousin Supriya Sule defeated his wife Sunetra Pawar in the Lok Sabha elections.

Replying to these media reports, Patel said, "Let me make it clear, he will contest from Baramati only," he said. Ajit Pawar has won from the Baramati assembly constituencies for seven terms since 1991. 

Furthermore, Patel said that the first list of 235 candidates of the ruling Mahayuti alliance will be released on Dussehra, the same day as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

The BJP is likely to contest 150-155 seats, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena 75-80 and the NCP 60-65, Moneycontrol reported citing sources. Last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Mumbai and assured the leaders of BJP and the alliance of a respectable number of seats to contest. 

Commenting on the seat-sharing formula, Patel said: "We had asked for a respectable formula. Accordingly, we will get 60 to 65 seats. We are happy with this understanding." He said that after a series of seat-sharing talks, the Mahayuti partners reached a consensus on 235 of the total 288 assembly seats. 

Patel emphasised that there is no dispute or disagreement among the Mahayuti allies. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said that Haryana-like scenes will be repeated in Maharashtra.

Fadnavis, who is the BJP's Man Friday in Maharashtra, said that the people have rejected opposition's false narrative on various issues. 

"In a first in the last 60 years, a party will come to power in Haryana for a third consecutive term. The opposition tried to push its narrative through the Agnipath scheme, and Olympic players, and even dabbled with caste politics. However, people of Haryana chose Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for development," he said. 

He also said that the people exposed Rahul Gandhi's politics of drama and now nobody will fall for it anymore.