PM Modi, HM Shah among BJP's 40 'star campaigners' for Maharashtra polls

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released a list of 40 'star campaigners' for the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly and by-election to Nanded Lok Sabha seat, featuring heavyweights like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, party's National President J.P. Nadda, among others.

PM Modi, who is expected to address over 10 rallies between November 7 and 14, tops the list of 'star campaigners' which also includes Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The other star campaigners include Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, state in-charge for Assembly elections and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, co-in-charge and Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The list also features the names of Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister and party MP from Mumbai North Piyush Goyal, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol and BJP joint-secretary Shiv Prakash.

Maharashtra BJP leaders, whose names were included in the list of 'star campaigners', are Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state unit party chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, former CM and MP Narayan Rane, former chief minister Ashok Chavan, former Union Minister Raosaheb Danve, party MP Udayanraje Bhosale, national general secretary Vinod Tawde, Mumbai unit BJP chief Ashish Shelar, legislator Pankaja Munde, state ministers Chandrakant Patil, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Girish Mahajan and Ravindra Chavan.

Former Union Minister Smriti Irani has also been named as a star campaigner. Besides, state council member Pravin Darekar and state assembly member Sanjay Kute, former MPs Amar Sable, Ashok Nete and Navneet Rana are also included in the list of star campaigners.

Meanwhile, State President of Prahar Jan Shakti Party Anil Gawande and Sai Dahake, wife of former legislator Prakash Dahake and the functionary of Ajit Pawar-led NCP from Washim district, on Saturday, joined BJP in the presence of state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule.