Mumbai:

Nawab Malik, leader of Nationalist Congress Party’s Ajit Pawar faction and a big face in Maharashtra politics, has announced that he will contest from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar – where Samajwadi Party’s Abu Azmi is the three-time sitting legislator. The Samajwadi Party is still waiting for a decision on seat sharing from the Maha Vikas Aghadi. It had asked for two seats and the party is far from pleased about the delay. Abu Azmi has given several deadlines to the MVA, but is yet to act on it.

Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, part of the North East Mumbai Lok Sabha constituency, is a Muslim-dominated area. So while Abu Azmi is confident, if Nawab Malik files nomination, it may no longer be an easy election for the SP candidate.

Nawab Malik’s party has been silent about his candidature, although it has announced 49 candidates already. There is still no clarity on how many seats each party of the ruling alliance is contesting.

Sources in the BJP have indicated that the party is not in favour of candidates accused in criminal cases. Many believe his ticket was cut by NCP due to the BJP opposition, which has created sympathy for him among the Muslim voters, who form a substantial chunk of the electorate.

Nawab Malik was arrested in February 2022 by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case involving mafia don Dawood Ibrahim and his associates. He was granted bail in July by the Supreme Court on health grounds.

In this backdrop, Mr Malik’s comments on has candidature has triggered speculation on whether he would be backed by his party or contest as Independent.

“I will be filing my nomination on October 29 from the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar Assembly constituency,’ Mr Malik had said. “The public has urged me to contest elections from here. The public is very upset with the hooliganism and drug business which is going on in Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar… I don’t care who is opposing me, the public is supporting me and I will contest the elections,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Mr Azmi has remarked that Nawab Malik’s candidature is a BJP ploy and their outward reluctance to field him just an eyewash. Many say his presence in the contest will split the Muslim vote, and help the BJP/Sena/NCP candidate win. 

In this year’s Lok Sabha elections, the North East Mumbai seat was won by Sanjay Patil of Sharad Pawar’s faction of the NCP. The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP (Ajit Pawar) alliance or the Mahayuti had fielded Mihir Kotecha.

Nawab Malik’s daughter Sana Malik is a NCP (Ajit Pawar) candidate from the Anushaktinagar seat. She will contest against Fahad Ahmed of Sharad Pawar’s NCP on this seat. Fahad is the husband of film actress Swara Bhaskar.

Polling for Maharashtra assembly elections will be held in one phase on November 20. Counting of votes will be done on November 23.

Mumbai:

The BJP on Monday released its third list of 25 candidates for the Maharashtra assembly polls, giving tickets to two Congress turncoats and the personal assistant of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The BJP, so far, has announced candidates for 146 seats. Polls to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will take place on November 20, while results will be declared on November 23.

Jitesh Antapurkar, who won a bypoll in 2021 on a Congress ticket and is considered close to former chief minister Ashok Chavan, has been nominated from Deglur. Chavan had left the Congress recently and joined the BJP, which made him a Rajya Sabha MP.

Archana Patil-Chakurkar, the daughter-in-law of Congress veteran and former Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil, has been fielded from the Latur City seat. She had joined the BJP from the Congress in March this year.

Sumit Wankhede, who has served as Fadnavis’s personal assistant for several years, will be the BJP’s candidate from the Arvi assembly constituency.

Incidentally, the BJP had given Fadnavis’ former PA Abhimanyu Pawar a ticket from Ausa in 2019. Pawar had won at the time. Later, Shreekant Bharatiya was made an MLC by the party.

Borivali BJP MLA Sunil Rane has been replaced with Sanjay Upadhyay, while MLC Praveen Datke has been fielded from the Nagpur Central seat.

Ashish Deshmukh, son of former Congress state president Ranjeet Deshmukh, has been given a ticket from Savner in Nagpur district.

Sitting MLA Bharti Lavekar has been repeated from Versova’s seat in the western part of the metropolis.

The BJP’s third list features four women, including Lavekar and Archana Patil-Chakurkar.

The other two are Sneha Dube, who has been fielded from the Vasai seat in Palghar district, and Sai Prakash Dahake from Karanja in Washim. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pune:

Despite familial ties, Yugendra Pawar, a candidate from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, is set to contest the Maharashtra assembly elections against his uncle Ajit Pawar from Baramati.

Yugendra Pawar is the grandnephew of Sharad Pawar and will be making his political debut in the Maharashtra Assembly elections to be held on November 20.

Speaking to ANI, when asked about him contesting election against his own uncle who has won this seat seven times, he said, “I feel it is quite sad, quite unfortunate that this had to come in the family. Not in Vidhan Sabha but it started in Lok Sabha and we were always together and even the incumbent MLA was always under the guidance of the founder of the party and family patriarch Sharad Pawar Sahab. What happened all of India has seen. The party split and the symbol was given to them by the election commission.”

Baramati will see another Pawar versus Pawar contest, after Supriya Sule, daughter of Sharad Pawar, defeated Sunetra Pawar, wife of Ajit Pawar, during the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year. Ajit Pawar had split the NCP in June 2023.

Yugendra Pawar added, “This was unfortunate but all of us in the family decided that we need to stay with Pawar Sahab because he is the founder of the NCP, he is the patriarch of the family and it is because of him that not only Baramati but everybody around also prospered.”

Yugendra Pawar feels that the fight against his own uncle won’t be tough but won’t be easy either. He said, “I don’t think it will be tough but I don’t even think that it will be easy either. Initially, Pawar Sahab was supporting Ajit Pawar, we fondly call him Dada, but people of Baramati in large numbers are behind Pawar Sahab and that is what they showed in Lok Sabha. They will show this in the upcoming assembly as well as other elections also.”

On his political debut from Baramati he said, “It is very satisfying, I am quite happy and I humbly accept the responsibility given to me by the party and respectable Pawar Sahab, State President Jayant Patil and as well as our Working President Supriya Tai Sule,” he said.

In its first list, the Nationalist Congress party (Sharad Pawar faction) has fielded 12 sitting MLAs who remained loyal to Sharad Pawar when the party split last year. The party declared its first list of 45 candidates on Thursday. It has been allotted 85 seats in the seat-sharing arrangement among the three parties in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition.

The Baramati candidate emphasised various issues that need to be addressed in the region.

“There are lot of issues, there are a range of problems that need to be taken care of. Like crime has increased not only in Baramati but all of Maharashtra. Then there is also a local issue like the old people, we call them Gao Pudharis, these local netas or the sewaks have not been changed for quite some time. They have not been the way a lok pratinidhi should behave. That needs to change somewhere. We need someone who will be amongst them, somebody who will be with them, will be available, who can hear them out and that system has not only been there in Baramati for quite a long time that needs to change,” Yugendra Pawar said. 

“Unemployment is a very big issue in Baramati as well as in Maharashtra. Also, water is a major problem in Baramati. Today, even though the monsoon is going on, there are close to 25 to 30 villages that still do not have drinking water. This is a drought-prone area. Pawar sahab brought water to the region around 35 to 40 years ago but after that not a single irrigation scheme has been brought to Baramati because of which a lot of villages today also are still drought-prone. We have a river over here called the Nira, the water is so polluted that even though we have water we cannot spread it to where it is actually needed,” he added.

Mr Pawar also spoke about the controversies going around the reservation system in the country.

“Reservation is something that was given to us by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and I feel like there are certain sections of society that still do need them. It will still be useful to them and our MP from Baramati Supriya Tai Sule has also spoken on this issue in Parliament and asked for reservation for certain sections so I personally also support her stand and our party’s stand on this issue,” he said.

Yugendra Pawar has been to all the villages in Baramati before contesting the election and plans to go around the area again after two days. “Pawar sahab is my mentor, my guide or ‘margdarshak’. He always tells me that you should go amongst people, you should not only focus on big cities or the big villages but it’s important to go to small ‘wadis’ or ‘vastis’. When I go there people, tell me after Pawar Sahab nobody else has ever reached out to them. Being there, you get to see the constituency and the issues, the problems that people are facing. I like to be on the field and not sitting on a desk or (in front of a) computer,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Shiv Sena has released its first list of 45 candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls which are to be held on November 20.

According to the list, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will contest from the Kopri-Pachpakhadi Assembly constituency.

Sada Sarvankar has been fielded from the Mahim seat against Raj Thackeray’s son Amit Thackeray.

Other candidates include Manisha Ravindra Waykar from Jogeshwari (East), Suhas Dwarkanath Kande from Nandgao, Pradip Shivnarayan Jaiswal from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (middle) and Balaji Devidasrao Kalyankar from Nanded North.

On October 18, after the recent announcement of the assembly election dates in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena convened a meeting with its office bearers on Friday.

In the meeting, there was a strong push for Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to be presented as the face for the chief ministerial position, a move that signals the party’s strategy as it prepares for the upcoming elections.

Shiv Sena party leaders chanted slogans in support of Eknath Shinde as Chief Minister, collectively asserting that the saffron flag should continue to wave proudly.

The meeting was convened by Shiv Sena leader and MP Shrikant Shinde. Senior Shiv Sena leaders Milind Deora, Ravindra Waikar, Manisha Kayande, Rahul Shewale and other leaders were present for the meeting.

This comes as Maharashtra prepares for a single-phase election on November 20, with counting set for November 23.

Both the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) — comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Congress — have intensified their preparations for the upcoming elections to 288 Assembly seats in the State. The BJP is part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance alongside the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and Congress won 44 seats. In 2014, the BJP won 122 seats, Shiv Sena secured 63, and Congress won 42 seats.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray
| Photo Credit: PTI

Shiv Sena (UBT) faction led by Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena-led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will hold separate Dussehra rallies in the state on Saturday (October 12, 2024), aiming to show their strength just before the assembly polls in the State.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) rally will be held at Shivaji Park while the Ekanth Shinde faction’s rally will be held at Azad Maidan. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said, “It has been a tradition for more than 50 years – only 2 Dussehra rallies are famous – Shiv Sena’s Dussehra rally which was started by Balasaheb Thackery and the other one is of RSS’ Dussehra rally in Nagpur. Now, the duplicate Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, the Sena of Modi and Shah is also organising the Dussehra rally in the name of Shiv Sena, many other organisations also do rallies but the importance of the rally that is organised in Shivaji Park has always been more in the country and State.

“”Today, our rally will be held. After Balasaheb Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray is leading the party and he will address the rally. Bow and arrow has always been our symbol, but Modi-Shah through theft gave it to dishonest and duplicate people, but it doesn’t change anything. Bow and arrow will always be in our hearts but our symbol is Mashal [flame] now. This Mashal induces fire but also gives light,” Mr. Raut added.

Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Anand Dubey termed Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction as a “duplicate” and said that Uddhav Thackeray has worked for the honour of Maharashtra while others have backstabbed and have been the servitors of Delhi. Mr. Dubey said, “Today, two [Dussehra] rallies are taking place in Mumbai – one, of the real Shiv Sena and the other, of the duplicate Shiv Sena. The real Shiv Sena is taking place at Shivtirth, like every year. Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray can’t be compared to any other Shiv Sainik or any other duplicate Shiv Sainik. Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray has worked for the honour and character of Maharashtra. Others have backstabbed Maharashtra and have been the servitors of Delhi.””In a month or two, the duplicate Shiv Sena will not be seen anywhere. There will be just one Shiv Sena,” Mr. Dubey added.

Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) faction leader Sanjay Nirupam targeted Uddhav Thackeray and said that he has sidelined Hindutva after allying with Congress.”Shiv Sena rally has a historical context. When Balasaheb used to address the Dussehra rally, he used to give his views on Hindutva to the Shiv Sainiks. There were strong comments, especially on the Congress’s policy of appeasement and the communal approach they followed in the name of secularism. Today Uddhav Thackeray has formed an alliance with Congress and has sidelined Hindutva. So he will not be able to speak much on Hindutva in his rally because it will disturb his Muslim votes,” he said.

“In the true sense, the thoughts of Balasaheb Thackeray will be expressed in Azad Maidan which will be addressed by Eknath Shinde. Along with that, there will be his sharp comments on the bad things that Congress has spread in the country,” Mr. Nirupam added.

Another Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande said, “Lakhs of people will come. The rally will be held at Azad Maidan. To hear the ideas of Balasaheb Thackeray, Shiv Sainiks used to come here from across the country…Shiv Sena had deviated from its path and Eknath Shinde is bringing it back to its path. All his supporters, Hindutva supporters will be there in large numbers.”Uddhav Thackeray on October 8 slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing it of attempting to change the constitution and creating “a fight in the whole country”.

“The government sitting in Delhi was going to change the constitution but they could not do so. The results that have come in Haryana and Kashmir today, the people of every state take their own decisions.There was never a fight between Gujarati and Marathi.The two thugs sitting in Delhi have created a fight in the whole country,” Thackeray said.Referring to the recent Lok Sabha election results, Mr. Thackeray said, “We are proud that Maharashtra has brought them to their knees in the Lok Sabha.

“He further asserted that Shiv Sena still stand with Hindutva but not with BJP.”My grandfather fought against the wrong Hindutvaists of that time, Babasaheb also said this. I left BJP, but that does not mean that we have left Hindutva,” he said.The 288 seats Maharashtra Assembly will go to polls later this year. The Election Commission of India has yet to announce the poll dates. The upcoming Maharashtra election will see a contest between the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Congress, and the Maha Yuti Alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction).