Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate for the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar assembly seat, Nawab Malik has voiced his confidence in securing victory in the forthcoming Maharashtra elections, despite facing stiff opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena Shinde faction.
Speaking to ANI, Malik expressed his gratitude to the NCP leadership, stating, "It was clear that when I will contest the elections, both Shiv Sena and BJP will oppose...But the way the party trusted me during these moments, sent the AB form and made me the candidate for the party...I will contest the elections with complete power."
Malik, who filed his nomination as an NCP candidate on October 29 after initially submitting an independent candidacy, acknowledged the current assembly seat is held by Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi.
He thanked Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, NCP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel, and NCP leader Sunil Tatkare for their trust in him, asserting, “A huge number of voters will support me.”
The BJP's Mumbai chief, Ashish Shelar, has already made it clear that the party will not campaign in support of Malik, while the Shiv Sena has raised concerns regarding his alleged links with the underworld, particularly gangster Dawood Ibrahim.
The Maharashtra Assembly elections are set for November 20, with results to be declared on November 23.
In the previous assembly elections held in 2019, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena secured 56, and the Congress obtained 44.
In contrast, the 2014 elections saw the BJP winning 122 seats, the Shiv Sena claiming 63, and the Congress garnering 42 seats.
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