Maharashtra Assembly Polls: Ahead of the assembly elections in Maharashtra, cracks appeared in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance over the candidature of Nationalist Congress Party's (Ajit Pawar) Nawab Malik. BJP Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar said that the saffron party would not be campaigning in support of Malik, a candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar Assembly.


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The party's Mumbai unit chief has said that the party has made its stand "very clear" and that even though their Mahayuti alliance partners have the right to declare whatever candidate, they have opposed Nawab Malik's candidature before, saying he is accused of having links with Dawood Ibrahim.


"Time and again, we have made our stand clear about Dawood Ibrahim and the people connected with him. This has already been said by Devendra Fadnavis, and now I am also saying the same. So, there is no question of us campaigning for Nawab Malik. The BJP's stand on this issue is very clear. We are of the view that all the partners in Mahayuti have the right to declare their own candidates, whoever they want to, but here the question is about NCP's authorized candidate, Nawab Malik, who has been given a ticket," he said in a self-made video.


He further elaborated that they have nothing against the daughter of Nawab Malik, Sana Malik, who is contesting from Anushakti Nagar assembly seat as an NCP (Ajit Pawar) candidate. "Now remains the question of supporting Sana Malik because she is also a candidate of Mahayuti. We are of the view that there is nothing against someone; then it should be like that, and each Mahayuti candidate is a candidate of the BJP," he further stated.


Earlier on Tuesday, Nawab Malik filed his nomination as an NCP candidate. Before he had also filed as an independent candidate. Currently, the assembly seat is held by Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi. Malik expressed his gratitude to the NCP leadership, saying, "I am very thankful to (Deputy Chief Minister) Ajit Pawar, NCP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel, and NCP leader Sunil Tatkare. They have confidence in me (to win the elections). A huge number of voters will support me."


The BJP is in alliance with NCP (Ajit Pawar), and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), called the Mahayuti alliance. The other major alliance for the state's assembly election is the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising of Congress, Sharad Pawar-led NCP, and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.


The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with counting for all 288 constituencies set for November 23. In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42.


(With ANI Inputs)