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The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released the first list of 99 candidates for the Maharashtra assembly election that will be held on November 20. — ANI (@ANI) The announcement comes after a crucial meeting regarding the NDA alliance for Maharashtra assembly elections was held at Union Home Minister Amit Shah's residence on Friday. The meeting lasted until around 2 AM and was attended by key figures including Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The three parties had previously reached a consensus on 240 seats, but discussions were ongoing for the remaining 48 seats where alignment had been challenging. 114243422The parties had agreed to swap seats to address anti-incumbency issues, ensuring a strategic approach to their campaigns.The BJP is looking to contest around 150 seats in the state but is involved in tough bargaining with its allies and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Key candidates and constituenciesAs per the list, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will contest from Nagpur South West, while state BJP president Chandrashekhar Krishnarao Bawankule will contest from the Kamthi seat.Other key candidates include Minister Girish Mahajan who will contest from Jamner, Sudhir Mungantiwar from Ballarpur, Sreejaya Ashok Chavan from Bhokar, Ashish Shelar from Vandre West, Mangal Prabhat Lodha from Malabar Hill, Rahul Narwekar from Colaba, and Chhatrapati Shivendra Raje Bhosale from Satara.The list also features Suresh Damu Bhole from Jalgaon City, Atul Save from Aurangabad East, Sanjay Mukund Kalkar from Thane, and Vinod Shelar from Malad West, among othersMaharashtra election datesThe voters from Maharashtra will be casting their ballots on November 20 in single phase. The counting of votes is scheduled for November 23.As the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly’s current term ends in November, the state braces for an intense two-way battle between two coalitions—the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), consisting of Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Congress, and the Maha Yuti Alliance, which brings together BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), and NCP (Ajit Pawar). 114288868"Total districts in Maharashtra is 36 with 288 constituencies, of which 234 are General, ST constituencies 25 and SC constituencies 29. Term of the Assembly of Maharashtra is ending on Nov 26, 2024. There are 9.63 crore voters in Maharashtra - 4.97 crore males and 4.66 crore female voters. There are 1.85 crore young voters, of which 20.93 lakh are first-time voters... There are total 1,00,186 polling stations at 52,789 locations," said CEC Rajiv Kumar during the press conference.The upcoming election promises high drama as it pits Sena vs Sena, Pawar vs Pawar, and the ever-present battle of Congress vs BJP. The political landscape has dramatically shifted since the last assembly election in 2019, with splits and power shifts taking center stage.

Nifty exhibited a robust recovery on the last trading day of the week, forming a Bullish Piercing candlestick pattern on the daily charts. This suggests a potential pause in the recent downtrend. However, a follow-through of buying is needed to confirm this reversal pattern. The index remains below its 10-day EMA, indicating that buyers are less assertive, with higher levels continuing to act as a selling zone, serving as a strong resistance for the past eleven trading sessions.Open Interest DeclinesComparing the index’s performance from the start of the week, Nifty closed the last session with an open interest (OI) of 15.61 million shares, down from 15.88 million shares at the week's beginning (October 11th). This represents a 0.44% decrease in index futures compared to the start of the week, pointing to significant long unwinding and the squaring off of long positions.FPI Long-Short Ratio FallsThe Long-Short ratio of Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) has dropped notably, with long positions reducing to 33.57% on the last trading day of the week, down from 35.86% at the start of the week (October 11th) and 79.89% at the beginning of the October expiry series. This indicates that FPIs are net sellers and have intensified their bearish stance.Key Levels for Weekly SeriesIn the weekly series, the 25,000 strike holds significant call open interest with 2.10 lakh contracts. On the put side, the 24,500 strike has substantial open interest with 1.45 lakh contracts. Active trading in the 24,900-25,000-call range and 24,700-24,800 put range indicates resistance around 24,900-25,000 and support between 24,700-24,800. Increased call writing at the 24,900-25,000 zone suggests that sellers are building strong positions at these key psychological levels, while put writers are cautiously adding positions at lower levels as the index trades at critical juncture.Outlook for the Coming WeekThe index is trading at make-or-break levels. On the daily chart, it has displayed a reversal candlestick pattern, following a recent Head & Shoulders breakdown. Sustained buying interest above the 25,000-25,100 zone is essential for further gains, as significant call writing at these levels presents a major challenge. A successful breakout above this zone could shift momentum to buyers, leading to short covering and potentially driving a stronger uptrend. Conversely, a dip below 24,690 could see sellers regain control, especially as long unwinding continues and FPIs persist in reducing their positions. This could push the index towards 24,500-24,300 levels. FIIs have been on a persistent selling spree, offloading nearly ₹70,000 crore worth of stocks in the cash segment so far. A pause in this selling pressure could provide a lift to the index.