Maharashtra Election 2024: Why Is BJP, Shiv Sena Against Nawab Malik's NCP Candidature?

Maharashtra Polls 2024: Ever since the announcement of poll dates for the upcoming Maharashtra elections 2024, the developments in the political circles of the state have caught people by surprise. A state, which is witnessing its first polls after the split of Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) into two factions each, has grabbed eyeballs, with both alliances, BJP-led Mahayuti and the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), finding it difficult to crack the seat-sharing deal even after the deadline to file nominations ended.

Amid all the speculations and calculations ahead of the much-awaited polls, a new rift over former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik's candidature emerged, which signalled towards the probability of cracks in the ruling alliance.

BJP and Shiv Sena Shinde faction are opposing the nomination of Nawab Malik due to his alleged links with fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar has announced that the party would not be campaigning in support of Nationalist Congress Party's (Ajit Pawar) Nawab Malik.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya said that Nawab Malik is a terrorist, and he tried to break the country into pieces. "Nawab Malik is a terrorist who tried to break India into pieces. He is Dawood's agent, and Ajit Pawar's NCP has betrayed the country by giving tickets to Nawab Malik. On behalf of Mahayuti, Eknath Shinde's candidate Suresh Krishna Patil (Bullet Patil) of the Bharatiya Janata Party started campaigning yesterday," said Somaiya.

On Tuesday, after Nawab Malik filed his nomination, a new challenge emerged in front of the Mahayuti alliance, as the Mahayuti had already announced Shiv Sena's Suresh Krishna Patil as the 'official' candidate for the same seat.

Nawab Malik, a two-time MLA from Anushakti Nagar, had earlier in the month announced that he would contest from the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar Assembly constituency as an independent candidate after being denied a ticket by the NCP due to pressure by the Mahayuti ally BJP.

On Tuesday, Malik filed his nomination papers as an NCP candidate from the Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar assembly constituency in Mumbai. 

After Nawab Malik filed his papers, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi slammed the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state. She dubbed Malik "Dawood's aide" as she quipped how a "Dawood buddy" is fighting as part of the BJP-led coalition and is friends with Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. 

"‘Dawood aide’ is now BFF with Ashish Shelar and Devendra Fadnavis; the ‘Dawood buddy’ is now fighting in the alliance led by the BJP, officially. Patriotism ke certificate baantne waale kahaan hain aaj?" Chaturvedi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader took a pot shot at the BJP-led alliance, as Nawab Malik is said to have had links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Notably, the saffron party had objected to the inclusion of Nawab Malik in the Mahayuti.

However, despite the objections, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led NCP went ahead and appointed not only Malik as the party candidate but also gave a ticket to his daughter Sana.

The NCP leader, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in February 2022 in connection with a money laundering case linked to the activities of the Mumbai underworld, is currently out on bail.

The saffron party and Nawab Malik have remained at loggerheads in the past years. He had accused the BJP of using central agencies such as the ED and the CBI to create pressure on its opponents. BJP leaders had also staged protests demanding his resignation back in 2022, when he was a Minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and leader of the undivided NCP.