The deadline for withdrawing nominations in the Maharashtra assembly polls on Monday has brought mixed fortunes for the Congress and BJP. In Kolhapur North, the Congress faced a setback as its candidate, Madhurima Raje Chhatrapati, withdrew from the race, leaving the party in despair. Meanwhile, the BJP succeeded in persuading Gopal Shetty to step down from his bid in Mumbai's Borivali constituency.

However, the Mahayuti alliance continued to face challenges as Shiv Sena’s Dada Sarvankar, the candidate from Mumbai’s Mahim constituency, resisted party pressure and refused to withdraw. He faces a contest against Amit Thackeray, son of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, who has the support of the BJP—a key member of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, alongside the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP.

In Kolhapur, a visibly disappointed Satej Patil voiced frustration over Madhurima Raje Chhatrapati’s withdrawal, which has left the Congress without a candidate in one of its strongholds in western Maharashtra.

This setback followed the Congress’s decision to replace its initial candidate, ex-corporator Rajesh Latkar, with Madhurima Raje Chhatrapati after party offices were vandalised by Latkar’s opponents. Madhurima, who is the daughter-in-law of Kolhapur Lok Sabha MP and royal family member Shahu Chhatrapati, may have withdrawn due to the negative publicity surrounding Latkar’s exclusion. Sources indicate that the Congress may now extend support to Latkar, who is running as an independent candidate.

The BJP got relief when former MP Gopal Shetty, who had previously secured the Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat with over 4 lakh votes in both 2014 and 2019 but was denied a ticket in 2024, withdrew his independent candidacy from Borivali. Shetty announced his support for the party’s official nominee, Sanjay Upadhyay.

Shetty had initially rebelled, expressing frustration that Borivali—a stronghold for the BJP—had been awarded to external candidates for years, sidelining local party workers. He also highlighted the lack of communication between the party leadership and grassroots members.

In Pune district’s Chinchwad constituency, the BJP succeeded in persuading rebel candidate Nana Kate to withdraw, clearing the way for the official nominee, Shankar Jagtap, who will now face NCP (SP) candidate Rahul Kalate without internal party obstacles. The Congress also saw positive developments in Pune, as Mukhtar Shaikh withdrew his candidacy from the Kasba Peth assembly constituency, pledging his support to the party’s official candidate, Ravindra Dhangekar.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena candidates Rajashri Aherrao from Deolali and Dhanraj Mahale from Dindori (Nashik district), who had garnered attention after their essential AB forms were transported by special aircraft, also stepped down. Both candidates were initially fielded by the Shinde-led Sena, even though the seats had been officially designated to the Ajit Pawar-led NCP as part of the Mahayuti’s seat-sharing agreement.

Voting for Maharashtra’s 288 Legislative Assembly seats will be held in a single phase on November 20, with results announced on November 23.