Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goyal, and former state minister Pankaja Munde figured in the BJP's list of candidates for 20 out of 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra on Wednesday.
The party has an alliance in the state with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
While two-time Lok Sabha MP Gadkari was renominated by the BJP from his Nagpur seat, commerce minister Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North) and Pankaja Munde (Beed) were among eight fresh faces in the list. Pankaja replaced her younger sister and sitting MP Pritam Munde in Beed, the family stronghold.
Gadkari's name had not appeared in the BJP's first list, prompting Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray chief Uddhav Thackeray to give him an open offer to contest as the Opposition's candidate.
Goyal is currently a Rajya Sabha member. His mother Chandrakanta Goyal was MLA from Mumbai for three terms.
The Mumbai North is considered among the safest BJP seats in the state.
Another new face on the second list was state forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar (Chandrapur). Besides, all Union ministers from Maharashtra were given tickets again.
The party replaced Jalgaon Lok Sabha member Unmesh Patil by fielding local leader Smita Wagh. Anup Dhotre replaced his father and sitting Akola MP Sanjay Dhotre in the list.
From Pune, the party fielded former mayor Murlidhar Mohol. The seat is vacant since the death of incumbent BJP MP Girish Bapat.
MLA Mihir Kotecha was fielded from Mumbai North-East, replacing current MP Manoj Kotak.
Notably, the party has so far declared candidates for only two out of six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai. In the last elections, it had ceded three seats to its ally, then undivided Shiv Sena.
The BJP has also not declared the candidate for Mumbai North Central, which was won by Poonam Mahajan, daughter of late Pramod Mahajan, in 2014 and 2019 on the party ticket.
In Wardha in eastern Maharashtra, the BJP renominated two-time MP Ramdas Tadas.
In Nagpur, BJP workers burst crackers after Gadkari's name was announced in the second list.
In Pune, former mayor Mohol thanked the party leadership for giving him ticket.
