New Delhi: Ajit Pawar’s NCP caused a major divide in Mahayuti on Tuesday after it fielded Nawab Malik for the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar assembly seat, even as it ignored massive opposition from the BJP, which had objected to the former state minister’s nomination.
The NCP move was quite unexpected. However, it seems it was strategically timed for the final day of nominations by Ajit Pawar. The decision drew strong reactions from the BJP. The BJP quickly declared that Shiv Sena’s Suresh Krishna Patil would be Mahayuti’s “official” candidate for the seat.
“Mahayuti (Shivsena) official candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar is Bullet Patil. We will fight to defeat candidates supporting Vote Jihad, Terrorism,” BJP leader Kirit Somaiya posted on X.
Mahayuti ( Shivsena) official candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar is Bullet Patil. We will fight to defeat candidates supporting Vote Jihad, Terrorism @BJP4India @Dev_Fadnavis @mieknathshinde
— Kirit Somaiya (@KiritSomaiya) October 29, 2024
Nawab Malik, who is the incumbent MLA from Anushakti Nagar and is out on medical bail, said: “Today, I filed a nomination from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar Vidhan Sabha constituency as an NCP candidate. I had filed the form as an Independent candidate also. But the party has sent the AB form and we submitted it at 2.55pm and now I am the official candidate of NCP.” (An AB form is filed by a political outfit to confirm its candidate for a certain seat.)
He added that he was thankful to (Deputy Chief Minister) Ajit Pawar, NCP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel, and NCP leader Sunil Tatkare for reposing faith in him. “A huge number of voters will back me and I am very confident that this time we will win the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency,” he said.
Granted bail on medical grounds
A minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Malik was arrested in 2022 in a case first filed by the NIA against Dawood Ibrahim and his aides, including Chhota Shakeel and Tiger Memon. He faced allegations of illegally acquiring a property in Kurla with the help of Dawood Ibrahim’s sister. In July this year, Malik was given bail on medical grounds. Earlier in October, the two-time MLA from Anushakti Nagar declared he would run as an independent candidate for the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar seat after the NCP denied him a ticket due to BJP pressure.
Due to BJP pressure, the NCP hadn’t spoken anything about Malik’s candidature till final days of nominations filing. Last week when NCP listed 27 star campaigners, his name was not announced. Apparently, Ajit Pawar intentionally delayed the move till the last moment.
This contest will be keenly watched
The Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar seat was won by Abu Asim Azmi of Samajwadi Party in 2019 assembly polls. He defeated Shiv Sena’s Vithal Govind Lokhare. Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena has fielded Rajendra Waghmare as its candidate from the constituency. An ex-corporator, Waghmare filed two nomination forms: one as an independent and the other as a Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate. This happened even though Mankhurd is one of the five seats which Abu Azmi had requested for the Samajwadi Party from the MVA. Azmi even threatened to field 25 independent candidates if the MVA failed to fulfill his demand.
