Maharashtra Election: Amid BJP's Opposition To Nawab Malik, Ajit Pawar's NCP Fields Sana From Anushakti Nagar

Highlighting the rift between the NCP and BJP in the Mahayuti, Ajit Pawar's party fielded Nawab Malik's daughter, Sana Malik, in the Anushakti Nagar seat for the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.

NCP's (Ajit Pawar) Maharashtra assembly election candidate from Anushakti Nagar, Sana Malik.

Source : Insta@sanamalikshaikh

Despite the Bharatiya Janata Party's objections, Ajit Pawar's NCP has fielded a member of Nawab Malik's family in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. In its second list of candidates, NCP has named seven candidates. Nawab Malik's daughter Sana Malik has been chosen to contest the Anushakti Nagar seat. Nawab Malik is the sitting MLA from the constituency.

The other big name on the second list of NCP candidates for the Maharashtra elections is Zeeshan Siddiqui, son of slain NCP leader Baba Siddiqui. Zeeshan has moved from the Congress and will contest the Bandra East seat.

The BJP has repeatedly opposed Nawab Malik's inclusion in the Mahayuti, but Ajit Pawar has been adamant to back him up.

Nawab Malik is a five-time MLA and is currently the MLA of the Anushakti Nagar constituency in the suburban area of Mumbai.

Malik has been involved in several controversies, including being jailed. In October, 2021, he launched an attack against Sameer Wankhede who was the Zonal Director of Narcotics Control Board at the time. Malik claimed that Wankhede had forged documents to lie about his religion and caste to bag a post in the Indian Revenue Service.

In February 2022 ED officials arrested Malik and claimed that he was involved in money laundering and had links with Dawood Ibrahim who was behind the Mumbai blasts of 1993. Malik managed to get bail in July 2024.

Nawab Malik's relationship has been sour with the BJP since his Congress days. In recent times, Malik, who switched to the Samajwadi Party and then settled with the NCP, picked up a fight with the BJP when Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was arrested in an alleged drugs case aboard a Cordellia cruise ship. Wankhede was leading the case.

Nawab Malik had then accused the BJP of using the NCB for its political agenda. He said the BJP's objective was to "defame The Maharashtra government and Bollywood.

After his release from jail, Nawab Malik attended the winter session of the Maharashtra Assembly sitting on the treasury benches (Ajit Pawar had rebelled and joined the BJP-Sena government by this time). This was despite, the BJP's strong objection to Ajit Pawar inducting him into the Mahayuti.

Devendra Fadnavis, who shares the Deputy CM's Chair with Ajit Pawar, even wrote to the latter stating that due to the nature of the allegations against him, the BJP was against his inclusion in the Mahayuti. Fadnavis, however, has said that Malik was out on bail but if the charges against him are proven to be false, the BJP was ready to welcome him into the Mahayuti fold. However, Ajit Pawar ignored Fadnavis and invited Malik to join his camp.