Gurupushyamrut Yog: A mad rush for filing nominations by ruling, Oppn candidates in Maha

Mumbai, Oct 23 (IANS) Candidates cutting across party lines are trying not to miss the Gurupushyamrut Yog on Thursday to file their nominations for the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Gurupushyamrut Yog, which occurs when Pushya Nakshatra aligns with a Thursday, holds importance for those seeking blessings and prosperity.

The list of candidates from ruling and Opposition parties is quite long as they are currently in the midst of getting the necessary papers ready to be attached with the affidavits that will be submitted to the Returning Officers during the filing of nominations.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who is also the Shiv Sena Chief Leader, will file his nominations from Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency from Thane.

The party is involved in the mobilisation of a large number of activists and senior leaders including Shinde’s son and party MP Shrikant Shinde from Kalyan Dombivli and Thane MP Naresh Mhaske on Thursday.

The party is keen to mobilise more women activists for thanking the Chief Minister for the successful implementation of a slew of welfare and development schemes including the Mukhamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana where 2.36 crore eligible women beneficiaries have received Rs 7,500 (Rs 1,500 each month) for five months up to November.

Incidentally, the Chief Minister on Tuesday had a darshan of Goddess Kamakhya situated in Guwahati.

After Shinde, along with 39 Shiv Sena legislators and 10 Independents staged a rebellion against the Uddhav Thackeray-led party and the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in June 2022, they camped in Guwahati and performed puja at the Goddess Kamakhya temple.

Apart from the Chief Minister, the Mahayuti ministers including Chhagan Bhujbal (Yevalekar), Dilip Walse-Patil (Ambegaon) and Dhananjay Munde (Parali) will also file their nominations on the occasion of Gurupushyamrut Yog.

In Thane alone, which is the Chief Minister’s home district and united Shiv Sena’s bastion, the BJP nominee Sanjay Kelkar (Thane city) and NCP(SP) candidate Jitendra Awhad (Kalwa-Mumbra) will also file their nominations by putting up a show of strength.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) founder Raj Thackeray will remain present at the time of filing of nominations by party candidates Raju Patil from Kalyan Rural and Avinash Jadhav from Thane constituencies respectively.

The MNS has already announced that it will go solo in the Assembly elections despite efforts by the BJP and Shiv Sena to bring MNS into the Mahayuti.

Shiv Sena leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray will also file his nomination on Thursday from Worli constituency where he is pitted against the MNS nominee Sandip Deshpande.

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole said that most of the party candidates will file their nominations on the occasion of Gurupushyamrut Yog on October 24.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)