First poll battle after EC's Shiv Sena decision: voting in Maharashtra's Chinchwad, Kasba bypolls

Maharashtra is seeing its first electoral battle after the Uddhav Thackeray faction lost the Shiv Sena name and symbol to the ruling Eknath Shinde camp.

Voting in bypolls to Kasba and Chinchwad Assembly seats began at 7 am on 26 February 2023. The bypolls were necessitated by death of MLAs Mukta Tilak and Laxman Jagtap, both leaders of the ruling BJP.

In Kasba seat, BJP candidate Hemant Rasane is facing Congress' Ravindra Dhangekar. In Chinchwad, BJP's Ashwini Jagtap and Nana Kate of the NCP are engaged in a face-off.

The bypolls are expected to set the tone for civic polls in key cities like state capital Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, and Aurangabad. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and party leader Ajit Pawar, state Congress president Nana Patole, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and others campaigned in both constituencies over the last 10 days.

(With PTI inputs)

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