Election 2024: Eknath Shinde's son Shrikant to contest from Kalyan seat

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis says that the BJP will firmly back Shrikant Shinde and will get him elected with more margin than last election

Shrikant Shinde, son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, will contest from the Kalyan constituency in Maharashtra during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief minister and BJP leader, made the announcement, conceding the seat to ally Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

The announcement follows opposition from local BJP leaders regarding Shrikant's candidacy for the Kalyan seat.

Fadnavis though said there is no opposition to Shrikant's name and the BJP will firmly back him. Shrikant would be up against Vaishali Darekar-Rane, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s candidate in Kalyan.

Darekar-Rane contested the 2009 election from Kalyan on the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) ticket, facing off against the Shiv Sena's Anand Paranjape. Despite securing 120,000 votes, Darekar-Rane finished third in the race.

The BJP had been advocating for a swap in either the Thane or Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg constituencies, which are seen as strongholds of Eknath Shinde and the Shiv Sena.

This caused unrest among incumbent MPs and senior leaders of the party, leading to queues forming at Eknath Shinde's residence for discussions and persuasions. 

The Sena (UBT), which has been allotted the 'flaming torch' symbol, has so far announced candidates for 21 seats.

The Sena under Eknath Shinde's leadership has announced candidates for nine seats, while the BJP has announced candidates for 24 seats. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has declared candidates for four seats, and its ally Rashtriya Samaj Paksha has announced one candidate. The Mahayuti alliance is yet to announce candidates for ten seats.

Maharashtra's 48 Lok Sabha seats will be contested in five phases from April 19 to May 20, with the votes being counted on June 4.