Shiv Sena releases first list of 14 LS poll contestants

This comes a day after its ally BJP announces its 16 of 26 candidates on Thursday

Shiv Sena today announced 14 of the total 22 candidates in Maharashtra for the Lok Sabha polls.

The saffron party, which is contesting the first general election after the sad demise of its founder and supremo Bal Thackeray in November 2012, has fielded youths including the standing committee chairman in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Rahul Shewale from the south central Mumbai, Shrikant Shinde, who is completing his medical education and son of Thane unit chief and legislator Eknath Shinde, from Kalyan, former mayor and legislator Rajan Vichare from Thane and party leader Sanjay Jadhav from Parbhani where the sitting party MP Ganesh Dudhgaonkar has decided to shift its loyalty to the ruling Nationalist Congress Party.

The first list was released by party president Uddhav Thackeray. Sena had bagged 11 seats in 2009 polls. The party has nominated former minister Gajanan Kirtikar in north west Mumbai), former legislator Arvind Sawant in south Mumbai) and the party legislator Vinayak Raut in Chandrakant Khaire (Aurangabad) and Shivajirao Adhalrao-Patil (Shirur).Sindhudurg.

The party MPs who are renominated include, former union minister Anandrao Adsul (Amravati), former union minister Anant Gite, Prataprao Jadhav (Buldhana), Bhavna Gawli (Yavatmal-Washim), Subhash Wankhede (Hingoli),Chandrakat Khaire (Aurangabad) and Shivajirao Adhalrao-Patil (Shirur).

Shiv Sena's list was released a day after its electoral ally BJP announced its 16 of the 26 candidates on Thursday. Besides, ruling Nationalist Congress Party had also released 18 of the 22 candidates yesterday".