Maharashtra Assembly Elections: Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi took a swipe at the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state after Nawab Malik filed his nomination papers as an NCP candidate on Tuesday, October 29. She called Malik "Dawood's aide" as she quipped how a "Dawood buddy" is contesting 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 targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party-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 Nationalist Congress Party went ahead and appointed not only Nawab Malik as its candidate but also gave a ticket to his daughter Sana.
Malik is currently out on bail after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in February 2022 in connection with a money laundering case linked to the activities of the Mumbai underworld. BJP 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 in 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.
Eknath Shinde Did It For His Selfishness, Didn't Want To Go To Jail: Aaditya Thackeray
On NCP fielding Nawab Malik from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said that Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde should answer should be questioned about this, adding that he could not sit beside anyone with connections with Dawood but had allowed Malik to become Mahayuti's alliance.
"Eknath Shinde should answer this. He could not meet Dawood's partner. He could not sit beside anyone who had any connection with Dawood. Then what became of Iqbal Mirchi? What happened to Dawood's partner?... When he had said all that, he did it only for his own selfishness. He did not want to go to jail, so he switched and ran off to Gujarat."
Despite opposition and objections from the BJP, the NCP, which is also a part of the Mahayuti, nominated Malik to contest the Maharashtra polls from the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar seat. Today, Malik, who is a sitting MLA from Anushakti Nagar, filed hi nomination papers for the upcoming elections.
However, it remained unclear as to how he would contest the polls as he had filed nomination papers both as an Independent as well as an NCP candidate. Later, he announced that he had received the AB form from NCP and will be contesting the elections as an NCP candidate from the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar seat. Meanwhile, his daughter Sana Malik will be contesting the Anushakti Nagar seat. She too had filed the nomination papers on Monday, October 28.
The Maharashtra Assembly elections will be be held in a single phase on November 20. Results will be announced on November 23.