Shiv Sena, a member of the ruling alliance, announced its first list of 21 candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra on Friday. It has retained 17 sitting MPs in the list but had denied ticket to the sitting MP from Osmanabad, Ravindra Gaikwad, who had allegedly slapped an Air India employee in 2017.
The party is yet to declare candidates for Palghar, near Mumbai, and Satara is Western Maharashtra. The Palghar seat is held by the BJP and the Sena has staked its claim over the rapidly urbanising constituency.
Old satraps such as Arvind Sawant, who has a good hold over MTNL and other trade unions, has been retained. Party old-timer Gajanan Kirtikar, Ananat Gite, and the de facto public face of the party, Vinayak Raut, has been retained.