Chandrashekhar Bawankule dispels seat-sharing rumours ahead of Kamthi nomination, thanks BJP leadership

Nagpur: Maharashtra BJP President and party candidate Chandrashekhar Bawankule, ahead of filing his nomination from the Kamthi Assembly constituency on Tuesday, expressed his gratitude for the significant responsibility given to him and also dispelled rumours about Mahayuti running into a deadlock during seat-sharing.
He said, "The party has given me a very big responsibility. Today, I was told to file my nomination from the Kamthi Assembly. I am going to file my nomination as a candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena, and Mahayuti."
Bawankule underlined the importance of his personal connections with the people of Kamthi. "I have familial connections with the people of Kamthi Assembly, and I think they will support me and give me their full strength. I will definitely come back elected with good votes and will strive to work for five years."
Reflecting on his previous decision not to contest elections in 2019, he said, "In 2019, I was told not to contest elections, but today, with the support of our Prime Minister, Modi Ji, Amit Bhai, Nadda Ji, and Devendra Ji, I am here filing my nomination."
Bawankule also dispelled the rumours regarding reports of 10 seats still under discussion, as the NDA-led alliance had run into a deadlock. He said, "There are no such issues; everything has been resolved. Everything is good."
Earlier in the day, Ajit Pawar's NCP released its fourth list of candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly election, containing two names. The list includes Devendra Bhuyar from Morshi Constituency in Solapur district and Shankar Mandekar from Bhor in Pune. Meanwhile, the filing of nomination papers for candidates in the election will end on Tuesday. Voting for all 288 seats will be held on November 20 in a single phase, with the counting of votes set for November 23.
A total of 4,426 nomination papers from 3,259 candidates have been filed as of October 28 for the elections in 288 constituencies of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, according to the Chief Electoral Officer's office. The Model Code of Conduct for the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly General Election came into force on October 15, and the notification for the election was issued on October 22.
Meanwhile, the Congress announced a combined list of six candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The party declared four candidates for Maharashtra and two for Jharkhand. In Maharashtra, the Congress has announced Madhurima Raje Malojiraje Chhatrapati from Kolhapur North, Sajid Khan Mannan Khan from Akola West, Heera Devasi from Colaba, and Chetan Narote from Solapur City Central. So far, the Congress has announced candidates for 102 of the 288 Assembly seats. The Congress is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar's NCP. The MVA alliance has declared candidates for 268 seats so far, with Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) fielding their candidates for 84 and 82 seats, respectively.
The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with counting for all 288 constituencies set for November 23. In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42.
Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Shaina NC joined NDA partner Shiv Sena on Monday, hours after the party fielded her from the Mumbadevi constituency. Shaina NC joined Shiv Sena in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, just weeks ahead of the assembly elections in the state.
Earlier on Monday, Shiv Sena released the list of 15 candidates for the assembly polls, including Shaina NC from Mumbadevi constituency. The Mumbadevi constituency is part of the Mumbai Lok Sabha seat and has been represented by Congress's Amin Patel since 2009.
There were earlier reports that the BJP could field Shaina NC from the Worli constituency; however, Shiv Sena fielded Milind Deora from that seat as a Mahayuti candidate. The Worli constituency will see a high-profile contest between Deora and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray.