Pune: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday (October 21) distributed AB forms to select MLAs from Pune district, confirming their candidacy for the upcoming elections.

The forms were handed out following BJP’s release of its official candidate list. Dilip Walse Patil, Dilip Mohite, and Atul Benke from the Pune district received their AB forms, while five other NCP MLAs are still awaiting theirs.

The Mahayuti (Grand Alliance) is nearing the final stages of its seat-sharing discussions, with most seats agreed upon by the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP.

Candidates from constituencies expected to avoid internal disputes have been declared first. BJP had already released its list of 99 candidates earlier, while NCP opted to issue AB forms privately to its MLAs without a formal public announcement.

In Pune district, eight MLAs, including Dilip Walse Patil (Ambegaon), Dilip Mohite Patil (Khed Alandi), and Atul Benke (Junnar), received their forms on Monday and confirmed the news.

Meanwhile, Hadapsar MLA Chetan Tupe stated that while he did not receive an AB form, he was given a document detailing nomination procedures.

Repeated attempts to contact Wadgaon Sheri MLA Sunil Tingre were unsuccessful. Indapur MLA Datta Bharane, Maval MLA Sunil Shelke, and Pimpri MLA Anna Bansode also reported that they have not yet received their AB forms.

This lack of a formal list from NCP, while opting for private distribution of AB forms, has stirred conversations within political circles, especially when compared to BJP’s public candidate list announcement.