With the poll bugle blown in Maharashtra, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and Mahayuti alliance parties have kick-started an all-out campaign for the mega showdown scheduled for November 20. Over 4,100 candidates are in the fray from 288 constituencies in the state.
With battle lines drawn, reports on various topics—such as the candidates with the most assets, the most qualified candidates, and those with the most criminal cases pending against them—are expected to inundate the internet in the coming days. Here's the list of key candidates running in the 2024 assembly elections who have "dynast" tag attached to them.
In the Maharashtra assembly elections, many candidates vying for a seat in the Vidhan Bhavan come from families of current or previous lawmakers. From the long list of such candidates, here are key candidates who are sons/daughters of former legislators.
Devendra Fadnavis
Former Maharashtra chief minister and current Deputy Chief Minister, BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, is contesting the election from the Nagpur South West Assembly constituency for the fourth time. Fadnavis is also being seen as the BJP's chief ministerial candidate. To challenge the Maharashtra Deputy CM, the Congress Party has fielded Prafulla Gudadhe Patil.
Devendra Fadnavis |
In 2014, Fadnavis defeated Patil by a margin of over 58,000 votes. Similarly, in 2019, Fadnavis reached the Maharashtra Assembly for the third time, winning against Congress candidate Ashish Deshmukh by a margin of over 49,000 votes. Gangadharrao Fadnavis, father of Devendra Fadnavis was a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council from Nagpur.
Aaditya Thackeray
Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s son, Aaditya Thackeray, is contesting from the Worli seat in Mumbai for the second time. In 2019, before the Shiv Sena split, Aaditya won by a margin of 67,000 votes, marking his first entry into the Assembly.
Aaditya Thackeray |
Aaditya is the first member of the Thackeray family to contest and win an election. This time, he is running from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) party’s seat, facing a tough challenge from former union minister and Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora, who has been fielded by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena party.
Rohit Patil
Rohit Patil, son of former Maharashtra deputy CM RR Patil, has been given a ticket by the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) from the Tasgaon-Kavathe Mahankal Assembly seat. Rohit's father, RR Patil, represented this seat for nearly two and a half decades until he died in 2015.
Rohit Patil |
The 27-year-old Rohit is contesting against NCP's Sanjaykaka Patil. Rohit's mother, Sumantai R Patil, is the sitting MLA from Tasgaon-Kavathe Mahankal.
Milind Deora
Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora, son of former union minister Murli Deora, is contesting from Mumbai's Worli constituency. Milind will face Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Aaditya Thackeray in a high-octane contest. Milind left Congress and joined Shiv Sena earlier this year ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Milind Deora |
Deora is credited with reducing Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant's victory margin to just over 6,000 votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Nilesh Rane
Nilesh Rane, son of former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, is in the fray for the assembly elections from the Kudal seat on a Shiv Sena ticket.
Nilesh Rane |
The main contest in Kudal is between Nilesh and Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Vaibhav Naik, who is aiming for a third consecutive victory in this election.
Nitesh Rane
Nitesh Rane, the younger son of former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, is contesting from the Kankavali seat on a BJP ticket. Nitesh, a controversial figure in Maharashtra politics who faces a plethora of criminal cases due to his statements, is seeking a third term as Kankavali MLA in this election.
Nitesh Rane |
In 2019, he defeated Shiv Sena's Satish Jagannath Sawant by a margin of over 28,000 votes. This year, Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Sandesh Parkar is in the field to present a tough challenge to Nitesh.
Zeeshan Siddique
Zeeshan Siddique, son of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, is seeking re-election from Mumbai's Vandre East constituency on an NCP ticket. Zeeshan joined the NCP last month after Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Varun Sardesai was announced as the MVA candidate for the seat.
Zeeshan Siddique |
Zeeshan's father, Baba Siddique, was tragically shot dead on the night of October 12 outside Zeeshan Siddique's office in Bandra.
Amit Deshmukh
Former Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's son, Amit Deshmukh, is seeking a fourth consecutive win from the Latur City constituency.
Amit Deshmukh |
The BJP has fielded Archana Shailesh Patil Chakurkar against him.
Dhiraj Deshmukh
Dhiraj, the eldest son of Vilasrao Deshmukh, is seeking re-election from the Latur Rural seat. In 2019, he won by a huge margin of over 120,000 votes against Shiv Sena's Sachin Deshmukh.
Dhiraj Deshmukh |
Sana Malik
Former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik's daughter, Sana, is the NCP candidate for Mumbai's Anushakti Nagar assembly constituency.
Sana Malik |
Her father, Nawab, is the current MLA for this seat. NCP (SP) has fielded actress Swara Bhaskar's husband Fahad Ahmad against Sana.
The Maharashtra Assembly election is set to take place on November 20, with vote counting for all 288 constituencies scheduled for November 23.
