NAGPUR: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday came out with its first list of 11 candidates for the Lok Sabha seats where elections will be held in the first phase on April 16. Of the ten seats in Vidarbha that will go to polls in the first phase, the BJP is contesting six leaving four for its saffron ally Shiv Sena.

The three from Vidarbha in the first list are Banwarilal Purohit from Nagpur, sitting MP from Akola Sanjay Dhotre and Ashok Nete from the newly-created Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST) constituency. Party general secretary Gopinath Munde would contest from his home constituency Beed in Marathwada and sitting BJP MP from Solapur Subhash Deshmukh will take on NCP chief Sharad Pawar in Madha.

The names of three BJP candidates from Vidarbha released on Tuesday were on the expected lines. While Purohit’s name was declared by BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani at the national convention held in Nagpur on February 7, Dhotre, who defeated Laxman Tayade (Congress) last time by a margin of over a lakh, had no serious challenge in the party. In the new constituency, the BJP zeroed in on Nete, the two-time MLA from Gadchiroli in its search for a ST candidate with winning potential. “My re-nomination is the party’s endorsement of my good work done in last five years,” Dhotre told ToI.

While the Congress is yet to declare its nominee, RPI faction leader Prakash Ambedkar is sure to contest from Akola. The nominee for the Mumbai North East seat who is widely expected to be Kirit Somaiya, former MP, was not declared on Tuesday because of the stake claimed by Poonam Mahajan, daughter of late Pramod Mahajan, party sources said.

Sharad Bansode, the only new face in the list, will contest from Solapur (SC). BJP MP Harishchandra Chavan, who went to Delhi to vote in the trust vote last year despite doctors advising him against leaving hospital, will be the party’s candidate from Dindori (ST). Former MP Chintaman Wanga will contest from Palghar (ST), sitting MLA Raosaheb Danve from Jalna and Haribhau Javle will contest from Raver.