Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal among NCP's 18 LS nominees from Maharashtra

NEW DELHI: Senior Maharashtra state minister Chhagan Bhujbal, union minister Praful Patel, Ex-deputy CM Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena defector Anand Paranjape are among the 18 candidates announced by the Nationalist Congress Party ( NCP) on Thursday for the Lok Sabha elections.

While the party has re-nominated seven out its eight sitting MPs, it has fielded Paranjape, a sitting Shiv Sena MP who recently joined the NCP, from Kalyan Dombilai. Pawar, who recently shifted to Rajya Sabha, gave his former constituency Madha to Vijaysih Mohite Patil. Southern actress Navneet Rana will be party’s candidate from Amravati. She is married to Ravi Rana, an independent MLA from Amravati.

The entry of Bhujbal from Nashik and that of Patil show the NCP fileding big guns this time to maximise its tally. The NCP, known as a party of Marathas, has also made an attempt to give notable reprsentation to all religion and caste and minorities in its first list. Praful and Supriya will contest from their sitting seats, Bhandara Gondia and Baramati respectively. The party has fielded P P Mohd Faizal from Lakshadweep.

NCP general secretary D P Triptahi said the party hopes to have alliances and campaign with the Congress outside Maharashtra too.