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Mahayuti faces Maha challenge as BJP opposes NCP's candidate Nawab Malik days before Maharashtra election
Nawab Malik filed his nomination from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar as an NCP candidate on Tuesday, while BJP announced Suresh Krishna Patil as its candidate.
Maharashtra assembly elections: Within the Mahayuti alliance, a conflict has emerged between allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) over the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar seat. The BJP has declared Shiv Sena’s Suresh Krishna Patil, who is also known as Bullet Patil, as its “official” candidate, following the NCP's nomination of Nawab Malik for the same constituency ahead of the Maharashtra assembly election.
“Mahayuti (Shivsena) official candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar is Bullet Patil. We will fight to defeat candidates supporting Vote Jihad, Terrorism,” BJP's Kriti Somaiya posted on X.
Nawab Malik filed his nomination from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar as an NCP (Ajit Pawar) candidate on Tuesday. After submitting the nomination, Malik said, “Today, I filed a nomination from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar Vidhan Sabha constituency as an NCP candidate. I had filed the form as an Independent candidate also. But the party has sent the AB form and we submitted it at 2.55 pm and now I am the official candidate of NCP.”
Expressing gratitude to the party leadership, Malik said, “I am very thankful to (dputy chief minister) Ajit Pawar, NCP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel, and NCP leader Sunil Tatkare. They have confidence in me (to win the elections)...A huge number of voters will support me...I am very confident that this time we will win the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency.”
The contest for the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar assembly seat centres around the Muslim vote, as the constituency is currently held by Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi.
Nawab Malik, who has previously served as a two-time MLA from Anushakti Nagar, had announced earlier this month that he would run as an independent candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar after the NCP, reportedly under pressure from Mahayuti ally BJP, initially denied him a ticket.
Sana Malik, daughter of Nawab Malik, is running as the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) candidate for the Anushakti Nagar assembly seat.
Meanwhile, Zeeshan Siddique, son of former MLA and NCP leader Baba Siddique, joined the NCP last week in the presence of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
Zeeshan has been named as the NCP candidate for the Vandre East constituency, where he previously won in 2019, defeating Shiv Sena's Vishwanath Mahadeshwar. He was upset with the Congress after his Bandra East seat was allocated to Shiv Sena (UBT) under the Aghadi's seat-sharing arrangement.
Maharashtra elections
The nomination deadline for Maharashtra’s November 20 assembly elections closed on Tuesday, amid continued manoeuvring within both the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and Mahayuti alliances. Adjustments may still occur until November 4, the last day to withdraw nominations, as the major parties in each alliance finalise seat-sharing arrangements and make room for smaller allies.
According to the Chief Electoral Officer's office, a total of 10,905 nomination papers were filed, covering 7,995 candidates across Maharashtra's 288 constituencies. The Model Code of Conduct has been effective since October 15, 2024.
Within the MVA, the Congress is contesting 101 seats, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) 96, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) 87. Four seats remain undecided, and in six constituencies — Miraj, Sangola, Pandharpur, Paranda, Dharavi, and Digras — two or more parties have fielded candidates.
For the ruling Mahayuti, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest 152 seats, Shiv Sena 80, and the NCP 51, with five seats still undecided. In some constituencies, multiple parties within the alliance have named candidates.
The Maharashtra Assembly elections will be held on November 20, and results for all 288 seats will be announced on November 23.
In the 2019 elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena 56, and Congress 44, while in 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63, and Congress 42.
