Mumbai, Oct 4 — The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced its candidates for three Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies for the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, while the ruling MahaYuti alliance has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the polls.
The BJP has fielded Smita Yogesh Jadhav from the Pune Division Graduates' constituency, Sudhakar Vitthalrao Kohle from the Nagpur Division Graduates' constituency and Kaustubh Muralidhar Gawde from the Pune Division Teachers' constituency.
The announcement comes after discussions within the ruling alliance over the distribution of the five seats going to polls. According to MahaYuti leaders, the alliance has finalised a 3:1:1 formula for the elections.
Under the arrangement, the BJP will contest three seats, while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will contest one seat and the Shiv Sena will contest the remaining one seat.
The NCP has been allotted the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates' constituency, while the Shiv Sena will contest the Amravati Teachers' constituency.
Meanwhile, the Congress on Saturday announced its candidates for the upcoming elections, renominating two sitting members and fielding a new candidate for the third seat allotted to the party.
In a release, the Congress said sitting MLC Abhijit Wanjari will contest from the Nagpur Division Graduates' constituency, while sitting member Jayant Dinkar Asagaonkar will seek re-election from the Pune Division Teachers' constituency.
The party has also fielded newcomer Aditi Pohare from the Amravati Teachers' constituency.
Voting for the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections across the three Graduates' and two Teachers' constituencies will take place on October 23.
The Graduates' constituencies going to polls are Pune Division, Nagpur Division and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, formerly known as Aurangabad Division.
The two Teachers' constituencies are Pune Division and Amravati Division.