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Mumbai, Nov 13 (IANS) Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday released a list of 40 star campaigners for the upcoming local and civic body elections in Maharashtra.
The NCP has planned to fight these elections in alliance with the BJP and Shiv Sena, but has left it to local party units to decide whether to fight alone or in alliance with Mahayuti allies, depending on the local level political situation.
Star campaigners include NCP president and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, party national working president Praful Patel, state party president Sunil Tatkare, Maharashtra Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif, former minister Dhananjay Munde, state Food and Drug Administration Minister Narhari Zirwal, state Sports Minister Manikrao Kokate, state Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil, state Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Makrand Patil, state Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne, Assembly Anna Bansode, Vice President, Women and Child Development Minister. Aditi Tatkare, Minister of State for Tourism Indranil Naik, former minister Dharmaraobaba Atram, former minister Anil Bhaidas Patil, former minister Sanjay Bansode, MLA Pratap Patil-Chikhlikar, former minister Nawab Malik, senior leader Sayaji Shinde, Minority Commission Chairman Mushtaq Antulay, former MP Sameer Bhujbal, MLA Amol Mitkari, MLA Sana Malik-Shaikh, State Women President Rupali Chakankar, MLC Idris Nayakwadi, former MLA Aniket Tatkare, former MLA Zeeshan Siddiqui, former MLC Rajendra Jain, Mumbai Working President Siddharth Kamble, State General Secretary Suraj Chavan, former MLA Lahu Kande, OBC Cell State President Kalyan Akhara, Social Cell State President Sunil Magre, Minority Cell State President Nazar Kazi, Mahesh Shinde, Rajlakshmi Bhosale, Surekha Thackeray, Najeeb Mulla, Pratibha Shinde and Vikas. Pasalkar.
Dhananjay Munde had to resign as state agriculture minister following the controversy over the murder of Beed district sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, while Manikrao Kokate was removed from the agriculture department after a video about him playing rummy in the state legislature went viral.
Chakankar has faced criticism within the party for making controversial statements following the suicide of a doctor at a government hospital in Satara.
Besides, Nawab Malik is on bail in a money laundering case, while Suraj Chavan, who was embroiled in controversy in an assault case, has recently been appointed party spokesperson and now star campaigner.
Suraj Chavan had to resign from the post of NCP state youth wing president after the video went viral as he had allegedly attacked Chhawa organization state president Vijaykumar Ghatge in July.
Subsequently, he was appointed as the state party general secretary.
Later the Maharashtra government included Suraj Chavan in the committee to draft the revised youth policy of the state.
Maharashtra State Election Commission has announced that elections to 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats will be held on December 2 as the local body elections will be held in the state after a gap of more than five years.
Counting of votes will take place on December 3.
BJP and Shiv Sena-UBT have already announced the list of their star campaigners.
Minister of state Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who has been appointed as the BJP’s Maharashtra in-charge, claimed that the Mahayuti would garner 51 per cent vote share and win all local bodies with a two-thirds majority.
“The BJP-led grand alliance government will win all urban and local bodies with a decisive mandate,” he said.
“The BJP will also ensure that there is no dispute or difference of opinion among the alliance partners.”
–IANS
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