Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 20 (ANI): As polling is underway in Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, Nawab Malik on Wednesday casts his vote at a polling booth in Mumbai.
After casting his vote, Malik appealed to the citizens to cast their votes in large numbers for the assembly polls.
“I exercised my franchise today. My family is also voting. I urge people to step out of their houses in large numbers and vote, and elect an MLA of their choice,” he said.
Notably, in Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, Shiv Sena, a Mahayuti alliance member alongside NCP, has fielded Suresh ‘Bullet’ Patil to contest against Nawab Malik.
NCP’s Mahayuti’s alliance partners, BJP and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) have expressed their opposition to Malik’s candidature.
However, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar has defended his decision to offer a ticket to Nawab Malik to contest from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, despite the serious allegations against him.
Malik was arrested in 2022 on charges of having links with Dawood Ibrahim’s associates, but no court has proven these allegations yet.
Earlier today, NCP candidate from Bandra East, Zeeshan Siddiqui cast his vote in the Maharashtra Assembly polls.
“For the first time, I have come alone to vote. My father (Baba Siddiqui) is no more. This is different but this will have to be done. I know that my father is with me. I started my day by visiting the graveyard in the morning…I think everyone must vote,” he said.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP candidate from Baramati Assembly constituency, Ajit Pawar expressed confidence in winning the assembly polls, saying that he trusts the voters will send him to the Assembly for the eighth time.
Voting began at 7 am on Wednesday for the single-phase of Maharashtra assembly elections and will conclude at 6 pm. Polling is taking place across 288 assembly constituencies.
Shifting alliances, ideological conflicts, complex caste dynamics, and emotional appeals have characterised the battle for power in the Maharashtra Assembly. The primary contest is between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
The ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction), while the opposition MVA comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction).
In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and the Congress won 44. In 2014, the BJP claimed 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42. (ANI)
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