Mumbai: November 4 was the last date for withdrawal of nominations for the Maharashtra assembly elections 2024 and all eyes were on the rebels and cross-party candidates. For Mahayuti in Mumbai, it was to be seen if BJP's Gopal Shetty from Borivali and NCP's Nawab Malik from Mankhurd will withdraw their nominations. Amid tensions within Mahayuti, Shetty withdrew his nomination, but Malik not only refused to withdraw his nomination papers but the NCP-Ajit Pawar faction continues to defend him.
Notably, Malik has been fielded from Mumbai's Mankhurd-Shivajinagar by NCP despite BJP's opposition. Shiv Sena's Suresh Patil is Mahayuti's official candidate for the seat. BJP has clarified that it will not campaign for Nawab Malik, but will continue campaigning for his daughter Sana Malik, the Mahayuti candidate from Mumbai's Anushakti Nagar.
'Ajit Pawar Will Be Kingmaker'
On Tuesday, Malik stated that Ajit Pawar will be the kingmaker in the ensuing Maharashtra elections. Speaking with TV9 Marathi, Malik said, "I am not a Mahayuti candidate. I am people's candidate and people will election me. In Mankhurd in last elections, Shiv Sena got 28,000 votes. It is not possible for the Mahayuti candidate to win."
"The fight between Mahayuti and MVA for this election is not easy. Maharashtra will witness a thought battle. However, I am sure Ajit Pawar will be a kingmaker and he will decide who will become the next chief minister," Malik said answering the reporter's question.
NCP Continues To Defend Malik
BJP has been strongly opposing Nawab Malik's candidacy. Speaking with the media Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis said that the NCP gave nomination papers to Malik three minutes before the deadline. The BJP has reiterated that they do not support Malik candidacy due to his links with Dawood. But they support his daughter Sana Malik's candidacy.
The rift within Mahayuti has intensified as the NCP continues to defend Nawab Malik. On Tuesday, speaking with ANI, NCP senior leader Praful Patel said, "The allegations against him have not been proven yet. We need to think about it only after a verdict. Every party has people who have some or the other action taken against them. It is a different matter if someone feels otherwise. But we stand by our decision."
The voting for the 288 assemblies in Maharashtra will be held on November 20 and results will be declared on November 23.
