Pune: The Congress party on Sunday released its first list of 51 candidates for the Maharashtra Assembly elections 2019, fielding Ramesh Bagwe from Pune Cantonment, Sanjay Jagtap from Purandar and Sangram Thopte from Bhor.
Bagwe, who currently heads Congress Pune City Unit and has been an MLA from Pune Cantonment (SC reserved seat) between 2009 to 2014, said “I am confident of my victory. The party identified my potential and I am very much committed to working at grass-root level and our micro-level strategy will help me win the Assembly election.”
Bagwe was defeated by Dilip Kamble of the BJP in the 2014 Assembly election.
Sangram Thopte, a sitting MLA, is seeking re-election from Bhor.
The list also has names of party legislator Vishwajeet Kadam, who will contest from Palus-Kadegaon seat in Sangli district.
The Congress has also fielded former chief minister Ashok Chavan from Bhokar constituency in Nanded district, state party chief Vijay Balasaheb Thorat from Sangamner in Ahmednagar district.
Former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh’s son Amit has been fielded from the Latur City seat, while ex-home minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s daughter Praniti will contest from the Solapur City Central seat.
Senior party leader Nitin Raut, who heads the party’s SC department, has been fielded from the Nagpur North (reserved) constituency.
The list of candidates was finalised after the party’s Central Election Committee met under the chairmanship of party chief Sonia Gandhi and cleared the names in New Delhi.
The Assembly elections in Maharashtra will be held on October 21 and results will be out on October 24.
