Nationalist Congress Party leader and party Bandra East candidate Zeeshan Siddiqui arrives to file his nomination papers for the Maharashtra Asssembly elections, in Mumbai on Monday. Party MLA Chhagan Bhujbal also present.
| Photo Credit: ANI

In poll-bound Maharashtra, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, has fielded sitting MLA Zeeshan Siddique from Mumbai’s Bandra East against Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Varun Sardesai. This move sets up an intriguing contest, raising the question whether the NCP can secure a win with a former Congress leader or if the Shiv Sena (UBT) can take the seat with its debutant candidate.

For 32-year-old Mr. Siddique, this poll will mark his first election without his father, former Minister Baba Siddique, who was killed on October 12. For 31-year-old Mr. Sardesai, a cousin of former Minister Aaditya Thackeray, it will be an opportunity to move from the realm of university elections to State elections and, possibly, lay the foundation stone of his political career.

Why have only two Maharashtra CMs completed a full term? | Explained 

Bandra East dynamics

A suburb in western Mumbai, Bandra East is known for its high-end business hub — the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), government housing colonies and slums. Over the years, Bandra was identified as a Congress stronghold. Out of ten elections until 2008, the Congress won eight times.

Bandra East was established as a separate Assembly segment following delimitation in 2008. Since then, the Shiv Sena held control over it until 2014. In 2019, Mr. Siddique (then with the Congress) won the seat by a margin of 5,790 votes against the (undivided) Shiv Sena contestant Vishwanath Mahadeshwar.

However, Mr. Siddique was suspended from the party for alleged cross-voting in the recent Maharashtra Legislative Council election. He then joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Mr. Siddique had dismissed the allegations of cross-voting, saying, “How I can vote nine times to ensure the defeat of MVA MLC candidates?”

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Siddique said, “I was a newbie during my first term, but now I have learnt a lot of things after serving people for five years. I will definitely win with a huge margin as the people of Bandra have seen me working on their issues of housing and water, and during the pandemic. In the process, my family had to sacrifice a lot.”

The NCP is also banking on the sympathy votes that Mr. Siddique may get owing to his father’s death.

An emerging face in the Shiv Sena (UBT), Mr. Sardesai is known for his poll strategy and campaigning extensively for party candidates during the Lok Sabha election. He also played an important role in the Mumbai University senate election, where the Shiv Sena (UBT) won all 10 seats. “He is committed to the idea of bringing in new perspectives. He has been working in Bandra East for some time now and the strategy is clear: fighting for the core issues of the people,” said Sena (UBT) spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi.

In the Lok Sabha election, Bandra East had given a substantial lead of 27,480 votes to sitting Mumbai North Central MP Varsha Gaikwad of the Congress against BJP candidate Ujjwal Nikam.

Bandra East is known as the poor cousin of Bandra West, a posh region where many film stars reside. It has a sizeable population of Muslim, Dalit, and middle-class Marathi families. The pressing issues in the Assembly segment are sanitation, housing, and water. Residents of slum pockets in Bandra East are fighting for land rights, housing rights and against illegal demolition. For instance, over 5,000 families in Bharat Nagar are demanding redevelopment under the State housing authority, Mhada, and not under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority’s redevelopment scheme.

Mumbai:

Making the second such arrest in quick succession, the Mumbai Police have arrested a man for threatening to kill actor Salman Khan. 

The Mumbai Traffic Police’s control room had received an anonymous message threatening to kill the actor if Rs 2 crore was not given as ransom. A case was registered by the Mumbai Police and, officials said, Azam Mohammad Mustafa – a resident of Bandra East – was arrested on Wednesday. 

Earlier this week, Gufran Khan, a 20-year-old tattoo artist from Noida, had been arrested for threatening Salman Khan and Bandra East MLA Zeeshan Siddique. 

Mr Siddique is the son of former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique, who was shot dead in Bandra on October 12. Baba Siddique was known to be close to Salman Khan and had played a role in ending the actor’s five-year-long cold war with Shah Rukh Khan in 2013.

The tattoo artist, who had been arrested by the Mumbai Police, said he had planned to send another threatening message to demand money but was apprehended before he could do so.

The Lawrence Bishnoi gang had claimed responsibility for the firing outside Salman Khan’s residence in Bandra in April and, in a Facebook post, also said it was responsible for Baba Siddique’s murder. 

The post from the handle of one Shubuu Lonkar, believed to be Bishnoi gang associate Shubham Rameshwar Lonkar, claimed that Siddique had been killed because he was linked to India’s most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, was close to Salman Khan and because of the death of Anuj Thapan, one of the arrested suspects in the shooting outside Mr Khan’s house, in police custody.

“We do not have any enmity with anyone but whoever helps Salman Khan and the Dawood gang, keep your accounts in order (‘hisaab-kitaab kar lena’),” Lonkar wrote in Hindi in the Facebook post.

Why Salman Khan?

The Bishnoi gang, which became a household name after claiming responsibility for murdering musician Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022, has said it wants to kill Salman Khan because of his alleged involvement in shooting blackbucks at Bawad in Mathania near Jodhpur in September 1998, during the filming of ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’.

The alleged act had upset the Bishnoi community, which considers the blackbuck sacred.

Lawrence Bishnoi had said during a court appearance in 2018: “We will kill Salman Khan in Jodhpur. Everyone will know once we take action. I have not done anything as of now, they are accusing me of crimes for no reason.”

Mumbai MLA Zeeshan Siddique, son of Maharashtra’s former minister Baba Siddique who was murdered last week, asserted today that he is ready to take his father’s place in service to the people.  “The blood of a lion runs in my veins. I am still here, unafraid and unbroken. They took one, but I rise in his place. This fight is far from over. Today, I stand where he stood : ALIVE, RELENTLESS and READY,” read his post on social media platform X, formerly twitter.

They silenced my father. But they forget – he was a lion-and I carry his roar within me, his fight in my veins. He stood for justice, fought for change and withstood the storms with unwavering courage. Now, those who brought him down turn their sights on me assuming they’ve won,…

— Zeeshan Siddique (@zeeshan_iyc) October 20, 2024

Baba Siddique was shot down last week, apparently  by the order of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail. The motive, apparently, was the former minister’s close relationship with Bollywood actor Salman Khan. 

Investigators said Zeeshan Siddique is also a target for the same reason. His photo has been found on the cellphone seized from one of the three men who shot his father.

While nothing is on record, Bishnoi’s associates have given the impression that his grouse against Salman Khan is about the blackbucks the actor killed 20 years ago. 

Siddique was shot by three men near his MLA son’s office in  Mumbai’s Bandra area on October 12. 

The former Congress leader, who had switched to NCP, was taken to the nearby Lilavati Hospital, where he was declared dead. 

The police have arrested nine people – including two of the three shooters – in the case so far.

Bishnoi, who has multiple cases agaisnt him, including of murder,  had shot into limelight with the murder of Punjabi artiste Siddhu Moose Wala.

Mumbai:

A photo of Zeeshan Siddique was found in the phone of one of the men who shot his father, Baba Siddique, last Saturday. The phone recovered from one of the accused arrested during the investigation of the murder case of the NCP leader had his photo, police sources said.

According to the sources, the photo was shared with the accused by their handler through Snapchat. The platform, investigators say, was used by the shooters and conspirators in the case to send messages to each other.

These messages were deleted on instruction from their handler, allegedly belonging to the gang of the notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

Read | Son’s Cryptic Post After Baba Siddique Murder

Siddique was shot by three men near his MLA son’s office in Nirmal Nagar in Mumbai’s Bandra area on October 12. The Congress-turned-NCP leader was rushed to nearby Lilavati Hospital where he was declared dead. The police have arrested nine people – including two of the three shooters – in the case so far. Five of them – Nitin Gautam Sapre (32), Sambhaji Kisan Pardhi (44), Pradeep Dattu Thombre (37), Chetan Dilip Pardhi and Ram Fulchand Kanoujia (43) -were arrested yesterday for allegedly providing firearms and logistical support to the shooters. Three accused are still on the run, police said.

Kanoujia, a resident of Panvel in Raigad, told police that the contract to kill Siddique was initially given to him and Sapre, sources said. He quoted a whopping amount of Rs 1 crore to take up the contract as, he said, he didn’t want to kill Siddique, the sources added. After Kanaujia and Sapre backed off, the task was given to Dharmraj Kashyap, Gurnail Singh and Shivkumar Gautam, the sources said. Kashyap and Singh were arrested on the day of the crime while Gautam managed to escape.

The accused told police that Shubham Lonkar – who was an alleged conspirator and the handler of the shooters in the case – chose Kashyap and Gautam for the job because he knew the people of Uttar Pradesh would not know about Baba Siddiqui’s stature in Maharashtra and that they would agree to commit the murder even for less money, according to the police sources.

Constable With Baba Siddique During Shooting Incident Suspended

When Baba Siddique was shot, he had only one police constable – a part of his security detail – accompanying him who did not retaliate when six rounds were fired at the senior politician. The security personnel has been suspended.

The constable told the investigators that he failed to react at the time of the incident as some “chilli-like substance” had entered his eyes, the sources said.

The three shooters and a co-conspirator had stationed themselves close to Mr Siddique’s waiting car, as per a reconstruction of the assassination. As the 66-year-old came out of the office and tried to get inside the car, the killers let off some device that covered the area in thick smoke. Many thought it was the smoke from the firecrackers, which also masked the noise of gunshots.

Baba Siddique had a ‘2+1’ security which means, two security guards during the day and one at night. When he went to Bandra East on October 12, he had two security guards with him. But before he left his son’s office, around 8:30 pm, one of the two security guards had left the location.

Lawrence Bishnoi Gang Link?

The Mumbai Crime Branch is also probing if the arrested accused had any link to the firing outside actor Salman Khan’s Galaxy Apartments residence in Mumbai’s Bandra area in April. Lawrence Bishnoi had taken responsibility for the crime.

A day after Siddique’s murder, a Facebook post claimed the Bishnoi gang was behind it. Hours later, a 28-year-old man was arrested from Pune. The police said the arrested man, Pravin Lonkar, was a “co-conspirator” and added that they were on the lookout for his brother, Shubham Lonkar.

31-year-old Bishnoi is in jail since 2015 is accused of running a trans-national crime syndicate by the National Investigation Agency. His name has been linked to several high-profile murder and extortion cases including the 2022 killing of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala.

New Delhi:

Even as the number of arrests in NCP leader Baba Siddique’s murder case went up to nine, his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique on Friday shared a cryptic post on social media platform X.

Not all that is hidden sleeps,
Nor all that is visible speaks.

— Zeeshan Siddique (@zeeshan_iyc) October 18, 2024

On the same day, Zeeshan Siddique met Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio in the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government, and was apprised of the police probe so far into the murder of his father.

Earlier on Thursday, Zeeshan Siddique had demanded justice for his family, while also appealing that his father’s death should not be politicised and nor should it go in vain.

Baba Siddique was gunned down near Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Nirmal Nagar in Mumbai’s Bandra area on October 12. Nine persons have been arrested in the case so far, including five held on Friday after raids in Panvel and Karjat in neighbouring Raigad district.

Meanwhile, a shooter of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed Baba Siddique was not a good man and had connections with India’s most-wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim. 

Yogesh alias Raju (26), who is associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi-Hashim Baba gangs but not linked with Baba Siddique’s killing, said, “There were charges against him under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). It is said that he was associated with Dawood, the man behind the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts. When people get involved with such individuals, something is bound to happen. This is exactly what happened to Siddique,” Raju claimed.

As investigation into the case continues and security for actor Salman Khan was ramped up after the 66-year-old NCP leader’s murder, police in Mumbai received a threat message demanding Rs 5 crore from Mr Khan, claiming to resolve his conflict with imprisoned gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The message also warned that if the demand is not met, “Salman Khan’s condition will be worse than Baba Siddique.”

Mumbai:

In his first reaction after his father and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was shot dead last week, Bandra East MLA Zeeshan Siddique has said he and his family want justice. Mr Siddique also made an appeal that his father’s death should not be politicised and nor should it go in vain.

In a post on X on Thursday, Zeeshan Siddique wrote: “My father lost his life protecting and saving the lives and homes of poor innocent people. Today, my family is broken but his death must not be politicised and definitely not go in vain. I NEED JUSTICE, MY FAMILY NEEDS JUSTICE!”

Baba Siddique, 66, was shot dead by three men outside Zeeshan’s Bandra East office around 9.30 pm on Dussehra, October 13. Police had said six bullets were fired at him, four of which hit him and another hit an aide in the leg. Siddique was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital, where he was declared dead.

Two of the shooters, Gurmail Baljit Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh, were arrested soon after the murder while Shiv Kumar Gautam, who is also from Uttar Pradesh, is on the run.

On Sunday, Kashyap had claimed in a Mumbai court that his age was 17 despite his Aadhar card stating that he was 19, and a bone ossification test had been ordered. On Monday, the results of the test proved that he is not a minor.

Police sources said the suspects have claimed that they work for gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is lodged in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail, and the same claim was made in a social media post on Sunday. The Facebook post was made on the handle of one Shubuu Lonkar, believed to be Bishnoi gang associate Shubham Rameshwar Lonkar, claiming responsibility for the murder.

Police said the post was made by Lonkar’s brother, Pravin, who was arrested from Pune on Sunday evening. On Tuesday, another arrest was made in the case –  that of Harishkumar Balakram, 23, from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh. Balakram worked as a scrap dealer in Pune and officials said he was part of the conspiracy to kill Baba Siddique.

The alleged handler of the three shooters, Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, is also on the run. 

Congress To NCP Switch

Baba Siddique, who was a three-time MLA from Bandra West, was associated with the Congress for 48 years. He had quit the party in February and joined Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Zeeshan Siddique was expelled from the Congress in August.

The NCP leader was murdered ahead of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and the opposition has attacked the Eknath Shinde-led ruling BJP-NCP-Shiv Sena coalition over the law-and-order situation in the state.

After the killing, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) President Sharad Pawar had said people in the government should take responsibility and step down from their posts. 

“The deteriorating law and order situation in the state is a matter of concern. It is sad that former state minister Baba Siddique was shot dead in the country’s financial capital, Mumbai. If the Home minister and the rulers will take the state’s vehicle forward with such leniency, it can be a warning sign for the common people. This not only needs to be investigated, the rulers need to accept responsibility and step down from their posts. My heartfelt tribute to Baba Siddique and condolences to his family,” he wrote in Marathi on X. 

Chief Minister Shinde said law and order had deteriorated under the alliance led by the opposition coalition, which is known as the Maha Vikas Aghadi, and promised that the people responsible for Siddique’s killing would not be spared. 

Mumbai:

After former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique was shot dead outside his son’s office on Saturday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assured that those responsible for Siddique’s brutal murder will not escape justice. 

“Our responsibility is to maintain law and order. Whoever is responsible for Baba Siddique’s murder will not be spared,” Mr Shinde said. 

The Chief Minister alleged that the law and order situation had deteriorated during the tenure of the previous Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. According to Mr Shinde, under the MVA’s administration, security measures had weakened, leading to a rise in criminal incidents, adding that his government would ensure that justice is delivered and that lawbreakers face the full weight of the law.

The murder of Mr Siddique shocked the state and triggered widespread concerns about public safety. The Mumbai Police has arrested two suspects in connection with the case. A third suspect remains at large, and the Chief Minister assured the public that efforts are being intensified to apprehend the fugitive. Shinde stated, “The third accused is on the run. 

“Yesterday’s incident of Baba Siddique’s murder is unfortunate and sad. Mumbai Police has arrested two people, one is from UP and the other from Haryana. The third accused is on the run. He will be arrested soon. They will not be spared no matter who they are be it the Bishnoi gang or any underworld gang. Strict action will be taken. Those who are receiving threats, their safety is the state government’s responsibility and it will fulfil its responsibility,” Mr Shinde said. 

According to police, Mr Siddique was shot multiple times, sustaining two critical gunshot wounds to his chest. He was immediately rushed to Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital where he died shortly after his arrival.

A political slugfest erupted over the killing between the ruling BJP and Opposition parties. While the BJP-led Maharashtra government has requested not to “politicise” the incident, Opposition leaders, notably from the Congress, have slammed the ruling dispensation over what they describe as a “collapse of law and order.”

New Delhi:

After veteran NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was shot dead near his son’s office in Mumbai’s Bandra last night, a political slugfest has erupted over the killing between the ruling BJP and Opposition parties. While the BJP-led Maharashtra government has requested not to “politicise” the incident, Opposition leaders, notably from the Congress, have slammed the ruling dispensation over what they describe as a “collapse of law and order.”

Mr Siddique, 66, a prominent political figure known for his three-time stint as an MLA from Bandra West, was gunned down by unknown attackers outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra East last night. According to the police, Mr Siddique sustained multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the chest, and died of his injuries at Lilavati Hospital later that night.

READ | Baba Siddique Shooters Claim To Be From Lawrence Bishnoi Gang: Sources

Following the murder, Mumbai Police arrested two suspects who claimed to belong to the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Bishnoi, incarcerated at Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail, was also involved in the shooting incident outside the residence of Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who is known to have been a close friend of Mr Siddique.

Political Slugfest

“The tragic demise of Baba Siddique ji is shocking and saddening. My thoughts are with his family in this difficult time. This horrifying incident exposes the complete collapse of law and order in Maharashtra. The government must take responsibility, and justice must prevail,” wrote Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge echoed similar sentiments, calling Mr Siddique’s murder “shocking beyond words.” In a statement released on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Kharge said, “The tragic demise of former Maharashtra Minister, Baba Siddique, is shocking beyond words. In this hour of grief, I offer my deepest condolences to his family, friends, and supporters. Justice must be ensured, and the present Maharashtra government must order a thorough and transparent investigation. The culprits must be brought to book at the earliest. Accountability is paramount.”

READ | Strongman To Bollywood Mediator, Baba Siddique Beyond Lavish Iftar Parties

“The news of the murder of senior Maharashtra leader Baba Siddiqui is extremely sad. I pray to God to give the deceased a high place in heaven and give patience and courage to the family. What name will you give to such criminal incidents that are continuously happening in Maharashtra under the NDA rule?” asked RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said that the ruling Mahayuti Alliance – comprising the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), BJP, and the Nationalist Congress Party or NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) – wasted no time in cracking down on the culprits.

“The Maharashtra government of Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar’s NDA government caught two accused within 24 hours. The search for the third accused is underway, and he will also be caught soon,” Mr Bhandari said. “Politics should not be done on this. Baba Siddique was a big leader. In Maharashtra, no one can escape the law. CM Eknath Shinde is personally monitoring the investigation.”

READ | Baba Siddique’s Shooters Lived In Rented House, Did Recce For Weeks: 5 Points

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal appreciated the state’s quick response while taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi.

“The unfortunate incident that happened with Baba Siddique can’t be condemned enough and we are all sad about this…but state government immediately sprung into action, some accused were arrested, nobody can show promptness more than this. When it comes to Rahul Gandhi and some other people, I am sad about the fact that they look for politics in such incidents as well. When Rahul Gandhi is asking questions about the law and order situation, he should also comment on the law and order situation of the states where his party is in power,” said Mr Khandelwal

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also urged the Opposition to not politicise the murder.

“We are very sad that our friend is lost. The opposition should not politicise this matter,” Mr Pawar said, adding that five teams have been formed and sent to other states to investigate the case. 

Law Enforcement’s Challenge

According to the police, out of the three shooters, two have been arrested – Gurmail Baljit Singh, 23, from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap, 19, from Uttar Pradesh – and one has been identified as Shiv Kumar, also from UP. A fourth person, believed to be the handler, is on the run.

The suspects had been monitoring Mr Siddique for months, conducting reconnaissance of his residence and office. The police revealed that the suspects had been paid Rs 50,000 each in advance for the hit and that arms had been delivered to them only days before the assassination.

Both arrested suspects are now in police custody, and the hunt for the others continues. Mumbai Police have also heightened the security around Salman Khan’s residence.