Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Oct 4: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced three candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council elections from the Graduates' and Teachers' constituencies.

The BJP Central Election Committee approved the names, which were announced through a press release issued by the party's central office in New Delhi on October 4.

The BJP has fielded Dr Smita Yogesh Jadhav from the Pune Division Graduates' constituency, Sudhakar Vitthalrao Kohle from the Nagpur Division Graduates' constituency and Kaustubh Muralidhar Gawde from the Pune Division Teachers' constituency.

The announcement comes ahead of the October 6 deadline for filing nominations. Scrutiny of nominations will be held on October 7, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until October 9.

Polling for the five Maharashtra Legislative Council seats will be held on October 23, with counting scheduled for October 27. The entire election process is scheduled to be completed by October 31.

The five constituencies going to the polls are Aurangabad Division Graduates', Pune Division Graduates', Nagpur Division Graduates', Amravati Division Teachers' and Pune Division Teachers'. The terms of the sitting members of these constituencies are due to end on December 6, 2026.

The formal notification for the elections was issued on September 29.

The BJP's latest announcement covers three of the five constituencies. The party is yet to announce its candidates for the remaining two seats — Aurangabad Division Graduates' and Amravati Division Teachers'.