Maharashtra Elections 2024: Ajit Pawar responds to the BJP's demands to remove Nawab Malik as candidate

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Ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra elections 2024, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar went to Malad for the election campaign on Friday, ANI reported.

On October 28, the NCP leader filed his nomination from the Baramati assembly seat. Ajit Pawar back in June 2023, split the NCP.

Remarkably, his nephew and Sharad Pawar's grandson, Yugendra Pawar is also contesting this election for the same constituency as the NCP-SP candidate.

When ANI asked about the NCP candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, Ajit Pawar said, "By November 4, it will be clear which candidate will contest from which seat."

Earlier on Thursday, Mumbai BJP leader Ashish Shelar claimed that the NCP leader Ajit Pawar should not have given a ticket to Nawab Malik, ANI cited.

"Ajit Pawar should not have given him a ticket; many in Maharashtra think this way. The serious allegations and chargesheet against him are unacceptable to Maharashtra... The BJP has made its stance clear. Maharashtra opposes an international terrorist like Dawood. Despite this, if he has been given a ticket, the BJP cannot associate with such people. We won't campaign for this candidate. Instead, we'll support the candidate running against him," he said.

However, Malik is determined to remain in the competition, "Bharatiya Janata Party or the Shiv Sena Shinde faction is opposing us is not a matter of concern for us. This is expected to happen and we will win with a huge margin in both assemblies."

Meanwhile, the battle for the Baramati assembly seat is a matter of prestige for the Pawar family, with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar facing off against his nephew Yugendra Pawar. Ajit Pawar lost the seat during the recent Lok Sabha elections when his sister Supriya Sule defeated his wife.

NCP leader Supriya Sule believes Yugendra Pawar's nomination was a good thing as it will renew the party by creating a balance of new ideas and deep experience, ANI cited.

Earlier, Yugendra Pawar expressed that the fight against his uncle won't be tough but won't be easy either.

He said to ANI, "I don't think it will be tough but I don't even think that it will be easy either. But initially, Pawar Sahab was supporting Ajit Pawar, we fondly call him Dada but the people of Baramati in large numbers are behind Pawar Sahab and that is what they showed in Lok Sabha. They will show this in the upcoming assembly as well as other elections also."

The BJP is in alliance with Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena called the Mahayuti alliance. The other major alliance for Maharashtra Elections 2024 is the Maha Vikad Aghadi (MVA), consisting of Congress, Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.

Elections for the 288 assembly seats of Maharashtra will be held on November 20, while the vote counting will take place on November 23. In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress secured 44 seats. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress won 42 seats.

(With inputs from ANI)