Nawab Malik fielded by Ajit Pawar's NCP, but will not get BJP's support

Nawab Malik's candidature provoked a sharp response from ally BJP, which has firmly refused to campaign for "people connected to Dawood Ibrahim".

In Short

• Nawab Malik files nomination as NCP candidate in Maharashtra
• BJP refuses to campaign for Malik due to 'Dawood links'
• Malik confident of winning with Ajit Pawar's support

A high drama unfolded in Maharashtra over the candidature of Nawab Malik, a former Maharashtra minister and a leader from NCP's Ajit Pawar faction. Initially, Malik filled two nomination forms, one as an Independent candidate and the other as NCP, before he submitted his nomination as NCP candidate at 2.55 pm. His candidature, however, provoked a sharp response from ally BJP, which has firmly refused to campaign for "people connected to Dawood Ibrahim".

Malik, who is a sitting MLA from Anushakti Nagar, has left that constituency to his daughter Sana, who is making her poll debut as NCP candidate. He will be contesting from Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar assembly constituency in Mumbai.

"Earlier, I had filed the form as an Independent candidate. But, the party sent the AB form and we submitted it at 2.55 pm," Malik was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

"I want to thank Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare. A huge number of voters will definitely support me... I am very confident that this time we will win Mankhurd - Shivaji Nagar constituency," he added.

Meanwhile, Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar made it clear that the BJP will not campaign for Nawab Malik. He said that all parties in the Mahayuti alliance have to choose their own candidates.

"However, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and other leaders in the BJP have explained the BJP's position regarding the nomination of Nawab Malik from the NCP," he said. "Our position is not to promote gangster Dawood Ibrahim and the person related to Dawood's case."

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray Nawab Malik's nomination and said, "Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that he would not meet Dawood Ibrahim's partner. He could not sit beside anyone who had any connection with Dawood."

"But what happened of Iqbal Mirchi? What happened to Dawood's partner? When he had said all that, he did it only for his own selfishness. He did not want to go to jail, so he switched and ran off to Gujarat," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi called the BJP a "party of hypocrisy" after Shelar's statement that the party will not campaign for Nawab Malik.

She said in a post on X, "Hahahahhah! Ashish Shelar says : BJP won’t campaign for Nawab Malik but will not oppose his candidature either. A party of hypocrisy and lies!"

The Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar seat has been historically held by Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi, who is currently in talks with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance to secure at least five seats for his party. He has even threatened to field 25 candidates across Maharashtra if his demand is not met.