Mumbai:

Mumbai Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief Ashish Shelar said on Thursday that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Ajit Pawar should not have given a ticket to Nawab Malik, considering the serious allegations against him. Ashish Shelar stated that the BJP cannot associate with such individuals.

Nawab Malik is the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar.

In an interview with ANI, Ashish Shelar emphasised, “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 further expressed confidence in Ajit Pawar’s popularity in Baramati, predicting a comfortable win for him.

“I visited Baramati and saw that Ajit Pawar’s work there is commendable. He delivers on his promises, which has built his reputation across Maharashtra. I believe his victory will be straightforward,” he remarked.

Targeting the opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Mumbai BJP Chief asserted that it no longer holds any significance.

“The Maha Vikas Aghadi as an entity no longer exists. They don’t listen to each other. There is conflict between Nana Patole and Sanjay Raut. Congress itself has splintered into three factions. Soon, they will all disintegrate,” Ashish Shelar said.

He added, “Uddhav Thackeray has never won an election on his own merit. He always relies on others. Those who rely on others should refrain from criticising other leaders.”

Ashish Shelar also reflected on the BJP’s defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, acknowledging that internal mistakes had contributed to the outcome.

“In the Lok Sabha elections, we did not secure the expected votes, which was disappointing. The Maharashtra BJP made mistakes, but we have corrected them. The disillusionment among our workers has now transformed into enthusiasm, especially after the Haryana elections. Congress’s so-called ‘Mohabbat ki Dukaan’ was actually a ‘Nafrat ki Dukaan’ that could only work once, and that has already happened,” he said.

He noted that the current electoral atmosphere is distinct from that of the last Lok Sabha elections, adding, “The public is now satisfied… Mahayuti will form the government with a comfortable majority.”

Discussing the Worli seat, Ashish Shelar emphasised that the Mahayuti candidate, Milind Deora, has a better understanding of the constituency than MVA candidate Aaditya Thackeray.

“Milind Deora knows Worli better than Aaditya Thackeray. He served as an MP there and has known the area since his father’s time. Aaditya Thackeray lives in Bandra but contests elections in Worli. The BJP will put its full strength behind ensuring Milind Deora’s victory,” he added.

The Mumbai BJP Chief also clarified that there is no dispute over the Chief Ministerial candidate.

“We will contest under the leadership of Eknath Shinde, and after the elections, all three parties will come together to decide on the Chief Ministerial face,” he said.

The BJP is currently in alliance with Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena under the Mahayuti banner.

The Assembly elections for the 288 Maharashtra constituencies will take place in a single phase on 20 November, with vote counting scheduled for 23 November.

In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena 56, and Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63, and Congress 42.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)