Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday reiterated the party's position, stating there is no speculation about Nawab Malik being part of the government if the Mahayuti alliance wins the upcoming assembly elections.
“We are not going to campaign for them, so there’s no question of including them in the government. We made our position clear yesterday that we will not campaign for them,” he said.
The BJP has firmly opposed the nomination of Malik, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar. The BJP is in an alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, known as the Mahayuti alliance. Initially, Malik filed his nomination as an independent candidate but later received the necessary AB form from the NCP. With just five minutes left to submit nominations, he submitted his application and expressed gratitude to Ajit Pawar.
Earlier, BJP Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar said that the party would not campaign for Malik, citing their stance against individuals associated with Ibrahim.
Malik's daughter, Sana, will contest her first assembly election from Anushakti Nagar, a seat previously held by her father. The constituency is situated in the North East Mumbai Lok Sabha area and has a significant Muslim population, which could pose a challenge for Samajwadi Party’s Abu Azmi, a three-time sitting legislator from Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar.
Fadnavis also addressed concerns regarding cross nominations and rebel candidates filing nominations as independents. He said that alliance partners have discussed these issues, and the party is working to convince rebel MLAs to withdraw their nominations. “Some people have cross-nominated from our alliance. Yesterday, we all allies sat together and sorted out issues about cross nominations. In a day or two, you will see the effect of this,” he added.
Regarding Gopal Shetty, a former MP who filed his nomination as an independent candidate from the Borivali assembly seat, Fadnavis expressed confidence in Shetty's commitment to the party. “Gopal Shetty is a dedicated BJP senior leader. Sometimes he demands something, but ultimately he supports the party. We are hopeful that he will align with the party line this time as well,” Fadnavis said.
In addition, Fadnavis mentioned the party's efforts to support Raj Thackeray's son, Amit Thackeray, in the Mahim Assembly constituency. “We are trying to find a way to support Raj Thackeray in Mahim Assembly. We are hopeful that a solution will come soon,” he said. Amit Thackeray is set to compete against Shiv Sena’s (Eknath Shinde) candidate Sada Sarvankar in the elections.
The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with counting for all 288 constituencies set for November 23. In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42.