Mumbai: The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has decided to contest the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections independently and has finalised around 100 seats where it plans to field its candidates. The party on Sunday released its first list of 37 candidates, signalling an aggressive solo push in Mumbai’s high-stakes civic battle.
Ajit Pawar-Led NCP To Go Solo In Mumbai Civic Polls, Releases 1st List of 37 Candidates |
Confirming the decision, Sana Malik, NCP MLA from the Anushakti Nagar assembly constituency, said the move to go solo was taken with the approval of the party’s top leadership. “We have decided to contest the BMC election on our own following approval from the party leadership. We are likely to contest around 100 seats,” she said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
3 Members From Nawab Malik's Family Included
A key highlight of the first list is the prominence given to members of the Malik family. Three members, senior NCP leader Nawab Malik’s brother Kaptan Malik, his sister Saeeda Arif Khan, and Kaptan Malik’s daughter-in-law Bushra Malik, have been named as candidates. While Kaptan Malik and Saeeda Arif Khan are former corporators, Bushra Malik will be making her electoral debut.
Bushra Malik has been nominated from Ward No. 170, which was earlier represented by Kaptan Malik but has now been reserved for women. Kaptan will contest from Ward No. 165, a seat from where Sana Malik had lost in the 2017 BMC elections. Saeeda Arif Khan will contest from Ward No. 168, the ward she previously represented as a corporator.
The party has also fielded Dhananjay Pisal from Ward No. 111. Pisal joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP on Sunday after quitting the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), marking a fresh political switch ahead of the civic polls.
In another major development, the NCP inducted Ashish Mane, the maternal nephew of Shiv Sena president and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Reports quoting party sources said Mane is likely to be fielded from Ward No. 159, with his name expected to feature in the second list of candidates.
The NCP’s decision to contest alone comes amid differences within the ruling alliance, particularly after the BJP objected to Nawab Malik leading the party’s BMC poll campaign. However, the NCP leadership has stood firmly by Malik. “Our party will decide who will lead what. Accordingly, we are moving ahead with the available options,” Sana Malik said, according to the report.
With the solo decision and the release of its first candidate list, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP has made its intent clear to carve out independent political space in Mumbai’s civic arena.
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