Ajit Pawar NCP to contest over 100 seats solo, declares first list of 37

The NCP released a list of 37 candidates, including family members of Nawab Malik, who will lead the campaign despite opposition from BJP.

MUMBAI: The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which has decided to go solo in the BMC elections, has finalised around 100 seats from which it will field its candidates, and released its first list of 37 candidates on Sunday. The party has also resolved that its senior leader Nawab Malik will continue to lead its poll campaign despite strong opposition by ally BJP.

Ajit Pawar NCP to contest over 100 seats solo, declares first list of 37. (Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times)

“We have decided to contest the BMC election on our own following an approval from the party leadership,” confirmed Sana Malik, NCP MLA from the Anushakti Nagar assembly constituency. “We are likely to contest around 100 seats.”

The first list of candidates includes three members of the Malik family—Nawab Malik’s brother Kaptan Malik, his sister Saeeda Arif Khan and Kaptan’s daughter-in-law Bushra Malik. While Kaptan and Saeeda are former corporators, Bushra has got candidature for the first time.

Bushra will contest from Ward No 170, which Kaptan has been representing till it was declared a reserved ward for women. He will now contest from Ward 165, the ward from where the Malik family’s Sana lost the polls in the 2017 BMC elections. Saeeda will contest from Ward No 168, where she was the corporator.

The party has also fielded Dhananjay Pisal, who quit the rival NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar and joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP on Sunday. He will contest from Ward No 111.

On Sunday, the NCP also inducted Ashish Mane, the maternal nephew of Shiv Sena president and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde. Mane is likely to be fielded from Ward No 159. His name is likely to be part of the NCP’s second list.

The NCP chose to walk alone in the poll battle out of compulsion after ally BJP opposed Nawab Malik’s name for leading the party’s poll campaign. The NCP leadership stood firmly with Malik. “Our party will decide who will lead what, and accordingly we are going ahead with the available options,” Sana told reporters.