Nawab Malik Factor Pushes NCP Towards Solo BMC Contest
The party’s first list of candidates, comprising around 39 names, would be released by Sunday: NCP MLA Sana Malik
MUMBAI: With seat-sharing talks entering their final phase ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is likely to contest the polls independently, sources said. Although party state president Sunil Tatkare remains hopeful of an alliance with the BJP and the Shiv Sena, sources indicated that the NCP is preparing to go solo in Mumbai.
NCP MLA Sana Malik said the party’s first list of candidates, comprising around 39 names, would be released by Sunday. Senior NCP leader and BMC election in-charge Nawab Malik is set to field three members of his family in the civic polls.
According to the party, Nawab Malik’s brother and former corporator Kaptaan Malik, and his sister and former corporator Saeeda Khan, will contest the elections. In addition, Kaptaan Malik’s daughter-in-law, Bushra Nadeem Malik, will also enter the fray. This will take the total number of candidates from Nawab Malik’s family to three.
Sana Malik, daughter of Nawab Malik and MLA from Anushakti Nagar, said she had contested the 2017 BMC elections on the ticket of the undivided NCP. “At that time, my uncle Kaptaan Malik and my aunt Saeeda Khan had also contested. This time too, both will contest again as these are sitting seats and they have been given another opportunity. Along with them, Kaptaan Malik’s daughter-in-law Bushra will also contest. She has been fielded from a seat reserved for OBC women,” she said.
The NCP MLA added that the party leadership has not yet formally instructed workers to contest independently. “If the NCP contests the BMC elections on its own, then three members of my family will be in the fray. The party is preparing to contest around 100 seats in the BMC,” she said.
Asia’s richest civic body has a total of 227 seats.
Meanwhile, NCP (Ajit) state president Sunil Tatkare said discussions were underway with state cabinet minister and senior BJP leader Ashish Shelar over the possibility of an alliance with the BJP in Mumbai. “We are hopeful that a middle path will emerge,” he said.
However, Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam has made it clear that there would be no alliance if the NCP contests the elections under the leadership of Nawab Malik, who is facing allegations of links with associates of fugitive Dawood Ibrahim.