NCP announces LS election candidates

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday announced that it will field Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Union minister Praful Patel and Shiv Sena MP Anand Paranjape as party candidates for the April-May Lok Sabha elections.

While the Congress, too, was expected to finalise its list of candidates on Thursday, the meeting of the Central Election Committee, chaired by party chief Sonia Gandhi, was postponed to next week.

The NCP has decided to field heavyweight Bhujbal from Nashik.The NCP is yet to decide its candidates from Hingoli, Beed, Maval and Hathkangale. Party leaders indicated that some of these seats can be exchanged with the Congress as part of the pre-poll arrangement. The NCP announced 18 of the 22 candidates it plans to field in Maharashtra, where it is in alliance with the Congress.

While Praful Patel has been fielded from Bhandara-Gondia, Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule will be the party candidate from Baramati. The NCP has fielded former Deputy Chief Minister Vijaysinh Mohite Patil from Madha, the seat represented by Sharad Pawar in the outgoing Lok Sabha. Pawar was elected to the Rajya Sabha this month.