BJP releases 3rd list of 25 nominees, including Fadnavis’ former PA Wankhede

Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu): The BJP on Monday released its third list of 25 nominees, including Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ former Personal Assistant Sumit Wankhede from the Arvi constituency in Wardha district in Vidarbha region. The party has denied a ticket to the sitting legislator Dadarao Keche from the Arvi seat. With Monday’s list, the BJP has so far announced 146 nominees for the Assembly elections slated for November 20. Borivali’s sitting legislator Sunil Rane has been denied a ticket as the party has nominated Mumbai unit General Secretary Sanjay Upadhyay in his place. The party has fielded Archana Patil Chakurkar, who is the daughter-in-law of former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil Chakurkar, from Latur City against the Congress candidate and former minister Amit Deshmukh.

Archana Patil-Chakurkar had joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP has denied a ticket to the sitting legislator Sandip Dhurve as he has been replaced by former legislator Raju Todsam from the Arni seat. Further, the party has dropped Vikas Kumbhare and fielded Pravin Datke from the Nagpur Central seat. The party has also denied a ticket to the sitting legislator Namdev Sasane and fielded Kishan Wankhede from Umarkhed constituency. The party has renominated Bharati Lavekar from Versova, Parag Shah from Ghatkopar, Harish Pimple (Murtizapur) and Ram Satpute, who had lost the general elections from the Solapur constituency, from Malshiras seat. In Ghatkopar East, former minister Prakash Mehta, who was denied a ticket in the 2019 elections, was a strong contender seeking the party’s nomination but he was not considered. Instead, the party preferred to renominate the sitting legislator Parag Shah.

The BJP has nominated Sai Dahake, who is the wife of former NCP legislator Prakash Dahake, from Karanja constituency. She had joined the party last week. Other nominees include Rajesh Wankhede (Teosa), Umesh Yawalkar (Morshi), Charansingh Thakur (Katol), Ashish Deshmukh, a former legislator who had joined the Congress and again came to the BJP fold, (Savner), Milind Mane (Nagpur North), Avinash Brahmankar (Sakoli), Kishor Jorgewar, who was elected as an Independent in the 2019 elections, entered the party on Sunday (Chandrapur), Jitesh Antapurkar, a former Congress legislator and close confidant of Rajya Sabha member Ashok Chavan who had recently joined the BJP (Deglur), Vinod Medha (Dahanu), Sneha Dube (Vasai), Suresh Dhas, who is the state council member (Ashti), Manoj Ghorpade (Karad North) and Sangram Deshmukh, who is the brother of party’s former legislator Prithviraj Deshmukh (Palus Kadegaon).