NCP to shortlist potential contestants by second week of July

The NCP will shortlist potential candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra by the second week of July, state unit president Jayant Patil announced Monday.

He said the ticket aspirants can send in their applications by July 1.

The applications will be scrutinised by the party on July 3 before the list of potential contenders is prepared.

"The applications can be submitted to the party's district chiefs concerned or on its website," Patil said in a statement.

The NCP has sought applications from ticket aspirants after its chief Sharad Pawar held district-wise meetings with local leaders and functionaries earlier this month.

Pawar has already talked about giving opportunity to young faces to a considerable extent in the Assembly polls, due in September-October this year.

The NCP has already announced to fight the elections along with the Congress and other like-minded parties.

In the 2014 polls, which it had contested independently, the NCP had fielded candidates in 278 of the total 288 seats. The party won 41 seats.

In the recently-concluded Lok Sabha polls, the party won 4 seats.