Filing of nominations for assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana end today

The filing of nominations for assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana will end today. The scrutiny will take place tomorrow. The candidates can withdraw their nomination till the 7th of this month. The polling will be held on October 21 and the counting of votes will take place on the 24th of October.

Today is the last day of filing nomination papers for the Oct 21 Maharashtra assembly elections. The Election Commission said, till yesterday, a total of 1,423 candidates had filed their nominations across the state.

Many political heavy weights in Maharashtra filed their nominations yesterday. While Maharashtra BJP President Chandrakant Patil filed his nomination from Kothrud constituency in Pune, Shiv Sena scion Aditya Thackeray, the first in his family to contest polls, filed his nomination from Worli. While many sitting ministers from the BJP, including Pankaja Munde, Girish Mahajan, Suresh Khade  and Subhash Deshmukh filed their papers from their respective constituencies; former Chief Minister and Congress candidate Prithviraj Chavan from Karad South and the Deshmukh brothers, sitting MLA Amit and new entrant Dhiraj Deshmukh too filed their nominations from two seats in Latur district.

Meanwhile, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar accompanied his party’s sitting MLA Jitendra Awhad as he filed his nomination papers for the Kalwa-Mumbra Assembly constituency. Another NCP candidate and currently, the Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde, pitted against his cousin and BJP minister Pankaja Munde in Beed's Parli segment also filed nomination yesterday.

In Nalasopara, former encounter specialist' Pradeep Sharma, who is entering politics as a Shiv Sena candidate, filed his nomination. In Dombivali, BJP minister and sitting MLA Ravindra Chavan filed his papers. Sitting BJP MLA from Thane City, Sanjay Kelkar, also filed his papers today. Sikkim’s former Governor Shriniwas Patil and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s daughter and sitting MLA Praniti were among the other prominent personalities who filed their nominations today.

Meanwhile the BJP yesterday released the third list of candidates which had 4 names. With this the BJP has till now released the names of candidates for 143 seats. While Congress also released its fourth list yesterday which had 18 names, fielding its Kisan cell chairman Nana Patole from the Sakoli



constituency. With this, the Congress has so far announced 141 nominees for the elections to the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly. Among the new names released by the party is Sushil Amrutrao Rane from Kankavli after its MLA from there Nitesh Rane joined the BJP. The Congress also replaced two of its candidates.

Elections in Maharashtra will be held on October 21 and results will be out on October 24.

Mega road shows were held across many parts of Maharashtra yesterday as candidates including ministers, sitting MLAs and other political heavyweights filed their nominations yesterday including Shiv Sena youth leader Aaditya Thackeray, BJPs Chandrakant Patil and NCPs Dhananjay Munde, and Jitendra Awhad were among the key leaders who filed nominations. Sitting ministers from the BJP, including Pankaja Munde, Girish Mahajan, Suresh Khade and Subhash Deshmukh also filed their papers from their respective constituencies; former Chief Minister and Congress candidate Prithviraj Chavan also filed his nomination. Meanwhile the BJP yesterday released its third list of candidates which had 4 names. With this the BJP has till now released the names of candidates for 143 seats. While Congress also released its fourth list yesterday which had 18 names. It has fielded Kisan cell chairman Nana Patole from the Sakoli constituency. With this, the Congress has so far announced 141 nominees for the elections to the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly.

In Haryana so far 586 candidates have filed their nomination papers which include the name of Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal, Haryana's former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Congress National spokesman Randeep Singh surjewala, senior BJP leader RamBilas Sharma, BJP's state president Subhash Barala, Abhay Singh Chautala of Indian National Lok Dal and Dushyant Chautala of Jannayak Janata party. Various other prominent candidates have also filed their nomination papers  Those who have left, would file their nomination papers today, the last day of filing nomination papers. Scrutiny of nomination papers would be done tomorrow and the nomination papers could be withdrawn by seventh of October. Election for the all the 90 assembly seats of Haryana assembly will be held  in a single phase on 21st of October.