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Lok Sabha elections 2019: SP fields UP MLA in Mumbai North West; may spoil Sanjay Nirupam’s chances
The 57-year-old Subhash Pasi, a resident of Jogeshwari which falls under the constituency, says he is popular among the North Indian community. Besides, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has loyal voters among the north Indians who will vote for him as the SP and BSP have forged an alliance in UP.
The Samajwadi Party has made the competition fiercer for Congress candidate Sanjay Nirupam, who is contesting against sitting Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar from Mumbai North West.
Reason? Their two-time Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Saidpur in Uttar Pradesh, Subhash Pasi, is contesting from the seat, threatening to take away a chunk of seven lakh north Indian and Muslim voters Nirupam is eyeing.
The 57-year-old, a resident of Jogeshwari which falls under the constituency, says he is popular among the North Indian community.
Besides, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has loyal voters among the north Indians who will vote for him as the SP and BSP have forged an alliance in UP.
He feels the infighting in the Congress will help him. “Internal conflicts among Congress leaders and ego clashes between the BJP and Shiv Sena leaders have doubled my chances of winning the polls,” he says.
A prominent Congress functionary said a senior Congress leader from Mumbai, who was keen on contesting from the seat, is behind Pasi’s candidature.
“The gentleman was denied a ticket, so he doesn’t want any other Congress leader to get elected from here,” he said.
The Samajwadi Party has fielded only three candidates in Nanded, Beed and Bhiwandi, and this is the only seat in Mumbai where they are contesting, he said.
Nirupam attributed it to rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sena.
He said, “The BJP and Sena are afraid of losing, as their sitting MP has failed to perform well. They are resorting to such strategies. Considering their history in this constituency, the SP has no chance of getting significant number of votes.”
Pasi, however, told HT, “I have been a resident of Mumbai for 40 years. I have performed well in my Assembly constituency and people have seen my work in UP. I have been organising Chhath Puja in Mumbai for nearly 20 years. I have no interest in eating into somebody else’s vote bank, considering
my chances of winning are higher.”
The SP candidate has promised free laptops to students and reduction in the restricted period of ownership transfer of SRA flats to five years from 10 years.
SP Mumbai chief Abu Asim Azmi said: “If Nirupam thinks we are sabotaging his chances, he should tell us who is the Congress trying to sabotage by contesting in Uttar Pradesh. The Congress should not forget their win in Madhya Pradesh would not have been possible without help from the SP and BSP.”
Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab said, “If the SP was to act on the BJP-Sena’s commands, the political dynamics in Uttar Pradesh would have been different. These are childish remarks by Nirupam. Instead, he should give a clarification on a photo showing Pasi and Nirupam sitting at the former’s house that has gone viral.”
