Maharashtra polls Mahayuti presents united front to back NCP’s Najeeb Mulla in Kalwa-Mumbra

Thane, Oct 27 (PTI) NCP’s Mahayuti allies Shiv Sena and BJP have called for collective efforts to promote its nominee Najeeb Mulla in the Kalwa-Mumbra constituency in Thane district in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls.

    Mulla is pitted against three-term MLA and NCP (SP) candidate Jitendra Awhad.

    Addressing a meeting on Saturday where leaders from the three parties were present, Shiv Sena’s Kalyan MP and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s son Shrikant Shinde cited the example of his success in the Lok Sabha polls, underscoring the need for presenting a united front.
    “Like my victory, we want to ensure that Najeeb Mulla is elected,” he said, calling the contest a fight between “ego and development”.
    He also said that many projects were misattributed to the local MLA (Awhad).
    Mulla and Awhad were in the NCP before it split last year. Awhad then stayed with the party founder Sharad Pawar, who now heads NCP (SP).
    Shiv Sena’s Thane district president Anand Paranjape said “matru shakti” (mother power) will galvanise support for Mulla, referring to the government’s ‘Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana’ scheme under which eligible women receive financial assistance of Rs 1,500 a month.
    Paranjape’s BJP counterpart Sanjay Waghule urged workers of the Mahayuti allies to stay united.

    Mulla said he will strive to serve the people in the constituency. “With the support of 45,000 beloved sisters of Kalwa-Mumbra, I am committed to fighting for progress over ego,” he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)