Mumbai: At one point the BJP’s stand on NCP (Ajit Pawar) MLA Nawab Malik was so firm and blunt that nobody would have imagined that one day the party will be forced to eat a humble pie. Now that Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP has declared Malik as its official candidate, the language of the big brother in Mahayuti has also changed – from will not tolerate to won’t campaign for him.
With Malik’s entry in Shivaji Nagar-Mankhurd, it is confirmed that the constituency will witness a triangular fight between him, sitting Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Aseem Azmi and the Shiv Sena candidate Suresh Patil. Since Patil is from Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde-led Sena, the two alliance partners in Mahayuti will clash against each other.
The state BJP unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule was highly critical of Malik. While wishing him for the candidature, Bawankule said the BJP was firm on its stand declared by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Kirit Somaiya even labelled Malik a terrorist.
Ashish Shelar, the city unit chief of the BJP, has already announced that the party will not be campaigning for Malik. Malik said he was expecting the reactions. “But we [he and his daughter Sana] are going to win with huge margins,” he said.
Sana Malik Shaikh is the Mahayuti candidate from neighbouring Anushakti Nagar constituency. Apart from Shivaji Nagar-Mankhurd, Mahayuti candidates are pitted against each other in Anushakti Nagar, Dindori and Devlali (both Nashik). Sana, the official candidate of Mahayuti, is facing rebellion by the Shiv Sena’s Avinash Rane.
In Dindori, the Shiv Sena has given AB Form to Dhanraj Mahale who has posed a challenge before Aji Pawar-led NCP’s Narhari Zirwal. In the neighbouring Deolali constituency, NCP’s Saroj Ahire will have to face the Shiv Sena nominee Rajashri Ahirrao.
According to sources, Sena’s decision to field candidates against the NCP came after developments in Nandgaon. Here, Samir Bhujbal, the nephew of minister Chhagan Bhujbal, has filed his nomination papers against Suhas Kande, the sitting MLA of Sena.
Samir resigned from the post of Mumbai chief of the NCP and decided to contest, which disturbed the Mahayuti apple cart.
