Power Corridors Bureau / Mumbai
In a clear rebuff to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nawab Malik, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate for Maharashtra’s Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar constituency, has said he did not want BJP leaders campaigning for him in the assembly polls. This came a day after the BJP had announced it would not be supporting Malik, whose candidacy stirred significant controversy.
“I am the NCP candidate. I didn’t need them to campaign for me,” Malik said, ahead of his planned campaign launch on November 4.
Reacting to the allegations linking him to underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim, Malik described the claims baseless and vowing to take legal action against those spreading them. “These accusations were unfounded, and I intended to file lawsuits against anyone making these claims,” he stated, adding that the money laundering allegations against him lacked merit.
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As debate around Malik’s nomination grew, NCP leader Ajit Pawar hinted that further clarity on candidate standings would emerge by November 4.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, was resolute in the BJP’s refusal to support Malik. “We will not campaign for him at any cost,” Fadnavis confirmed, adding that Mahayuti leaders would support the Shiv Sena candidate in Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar instead. He also stated there was “no question” of Malik joining any future Mahayuti government.
BJP’s Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar voiced strong disapproval over Malik’s candidacy, saying, “Ajit Pawar should not have given him a ticket. There were serious charges against Malik that were unacceptable to Maharashtra, which strongly opposed figures like Dawood Ibrahim,” Shelar told media persons.
Malik’s nomination had caused tension within Maharashtra’s Mahayuti coalition, especially between the BJP and Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction. The alliance, which included Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, faced growing internal discord over the controversial decision.
As Maharashtra geared up for the Assembly elections on November 20, the state’s 288 constituencies prepared for a high-stakes political showdown. The outcome, expected on November 23, would reveal whether the BJP’s stance on Malik’s nomination would impact the coalition’s unity in Maharashtra’s dynamic political landscape.
