Nawab Malik files papers as NCP candidate for assembly polls

Mumbai, Oct 29 (PTI) Former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Tuesday filed his nomination papers as NCP candidate from Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar assembly constituency in Mumbai.
The development came days after city BJP president Ashish Shelar said his party is against Malik’s candidature for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly election.
"We will not accept giving a ticket to someone linked to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim," Shelar had said. "We won't support Nawab Malik and will have a different stand," he had added.
“I had decided to contest as an independent if I did not get AB form from my party. I filed papers at 2.55 pm as NCP candidate,” Malik said after filing his papers.
Tuesday was the last day of filing nominations for the assembly elections.
There is no clarity yet if there has been a rethink over the stance of BJP, which shares power in the state in alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, over Malik’s candidature.

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said he is not aware of “official information” on Malik filing papers as NCP nominee. “I will react when I get official information,” he added.
Malik, sitting MLA from Anushakti Nagar, has left that constituency to his daughter Sana, who is making her debut in electoral politics as NCP candidate.
Nawab Malik was a minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and was arrested in 2022 in a case first registered by the NIA against Dawood and his associates including Chhota Shakeel and Tigar Memon.
Malik was granted bail on medical grounds in July this year. After the NCP split, the faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar took the MLA into its fold, despite objections from ally BJP.

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