Congress names Aditi Pohare among three Legislative Council candidates a day after she joins party

Congress has announced the names of three candidates for the elections to the graduates' and teachers' constituencies of the Maharashtra Legislative Council. According to a communique issued by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on October 2, 2026, Abhijit Govindrao Wanjari has been named the candidate from the Nagpur division graduates' constituency.

Jayant Dinkar Asgaonkar has got the ticket from the Pune division teachers' constituency. Prof Aditi Rishikesh Pohare has been nominated from the Amravati division teachers' constituency.

Pohare's candidature has drawn the most attention. She joined the party on Thursday at Tilak Bhavan in Mumbai in the presence of senior Congress leaders. She was declared a candidate from the Amravati division teachers' constituency within 24 hours, which has made the matter the subject of even more discussion.

AICC general secretary K C Venugopal made the official announcement of the candidates on Friday, after the approval of Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge. The picture for Congress is now clear on three seats.

Wanjari is currently the Congress member of the Legislative Council from the Nagpur graduates' constituency. Asgaonkar is the sitting member from the Pune teachers' constituency. With the ticket from the Amravati teachers' constituency, Pohare's entry into politics is now considered certain.

Yashomati Thakur had hinted at the time Pohare joined the party that she could get the candidature. The Congress leadership has now made it official.

According to the election schedule, voting for five seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council will be held on October 23, 2026, and the votes will be counted on October 27. The five seats include three graduates' and two teachers' constituencies.

The last date for filing nominations is October 6. Nominations will be scrutinised on October 7. The last date for candidates who wish to withdraw their nomination is October 9.