The seniormost among them is Eknath Khadse (born in 1952), Leader of Opposition in the outgoing 12th State Assembly. A prominent leader from Jalgaon district in North Maharashtra, he was Finance Minister during the Shiv Sena-BJP regime in 1995-99.
Sudhir Mungantiwar (born 1962) is a former president of Maharashtra BJP and a close associate of Union minister Nitin Gadkari. He was a minister for some time during the Shiv Sena-BJP regime in 1995-99. He hails from Chandrapur district in Vidarbha.
Vinod Tawde (born 1963), who was effective as leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, hails from Sindhdurg district in coastal Konkan region and is an electronics engineering graduate.
Till two days ago, Chandrakant Patil, an MLC from Pune graduates seat, was tipped to succeed Fadnavis as the next state BJP chief. Hailing from Kolhapur district in western Maharashtra, he has deep roots in RSS and often acts as a bridge between the Sangh Parivar and the state party organisation.
Pankaja Munde (born 1979) won her second term as MLA from Parli in Marathwada region. She was made a member of the state BJP core committee after the death of her father Gopinath Munde in a road accident in Delhi in June. Vishnu Savara won from Vikramgadh constituency in Palghar district. He was a minister during the Sena-BJP government in the 90s.
