Zeeshan Siddiqui says Maha Vikas Aghadi went back on promise: ‘They played with my emotions’

NCP candidate Zeeshan Siddiqui expressed disappointment over MVA's decision to oppose him despite earlier promises of an unopposed contest.

Updated on: Oct 31, 2024, 07:00:36 IST

By HT News Desk

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Zeeshan Siddiqui, an NCP candidate for the upcoming Maharashtra election and the son of slain NCP leader Baba Siddique, expressed disappointment over the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) fielding a candidate against him, despite “assurances he would run unopposed”.

Congress candidate Zeeshan Siddique along with father former MLA Baba Siddique celebrates after he won against Mumbai Mayor and Shiv Sena candidate Vishwanath Mahadeshwar at Bandar east Bandra east in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, October 24, 2019. (Photo by Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times)

Zeeshan Siddiqui said MVA leaders had initially visited him, promising he could contest without opposition as a tribute to his late father’s legacy. However, he said he was "kept in the dark" until the Shiv Sena (UBT) announced its candidate. “I was taken aback,” Zeeshan Siddiqui added, calling the MVA’s actions “hypocritical".

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“I was not in the right frame of mind to even think about anything. But MVA leaders came to my house and told me that they were with me and my father’s legacy… They said that as a mark of respect, they would let me contest unopposed. They came with the proposal, but then kept me in the dark… One fine day, the Shiv Sena-UBT just released its candidate’s name. I was taken aback,” The Indian Express quoted Zeeshan Siddiqui as saying.

“The MVA has always been hypocrites and it’s nothing new for them to act like this. I just felt hurt that at a time like this, in a time of grief, they tried to play with my feelings,” he added.

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Zeeshan Siddique faces Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Varun Sardesai in Bandra East

The NCP has fielded Zeeshan Siddique from the Bandra East, where he won in 2019 against Shiv Sena's Vishwanath Mahadeshwar. This election, he faces Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Varun Sardesai.

ALSO READ- Maharashtra polls: Consensus vs conflict; understanding the politics of Mahayuti, MVA

Zeeshan, formerly the Mumbai Youth Congress president, joined Ajit Pawar's NCP earlier this month, citing dissatisfaction with Congress. He claimed the party sidelined him and even suggested he contest from other constituencies.

“My dedication has always been to the people of Bandra East, and I will contest from only here,” he said.

Baba Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister, was shot on October 12 by three assailants near his son’s office in Mumbai's Nirmal Nagar area.

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HT News Desk
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