Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 18 : Nationalist Congress Party candidate Nawab Malik on Monday said that the excitement among the people shows that he and his daughter will win both the seats they are contesting.
Speaking to ANI, Nawab Malik, the NCP candidate from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, said, "The bike rally is starting right now from Sana Malik's constituency and then we will attend the bike rally in our own constituency. The excitement in the people clearly shows that we are going to win both seats. We have done the work and we will keep working."
His daughter and NCP candidate from Anushakti Nagar, Sana Malik emphasized that they are moving ahead in a positive manner in the last phase of campaigning.
"We have been meeting people, now we have come to make a final appeal to them. The feeling is that we should work among people the same way we have been doing for the last 5-7 years... This is the last phase of the campaign; we are moving ahead in a positive manner... We are always among the people," she told ANI.
Notably, in Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, Shiv Sena, a Mahayuti alliance member alongside NCP, has fielded Suresh 'Bullet' Patil to contest against Nawab Malik.
NCP's Mahayuti's alliance partners, BJP and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) have expressed their opposition to Malik's candidature. Nawab Malik has expressed confidence in winning the upcoming assembly elections from the Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar assembly seat.
However, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar has defended his decision to offer a ticket to Nawab Malik to contest from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, despite the serious allegations against him.
Malik was arrested in 2022 on charges of having links with Dawood Ibrahim's associates, but no court has proven these allegations yet.
Speaking exclusively to ANI, Pawar stated, "The allegation against Nawab Malik has not been proven, so why not give him a ticket?" He compared Malik's situation to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who faced accusations during his time in office. "Many allegations were made against Rajiv Gandhi, like Bofors, but that doesn't mean he is an accused. This is a democracy, we can't blame anyone without evidence," Pawar said.
Maharashtra elections will be held in a single phase on November 20 with counting of votes held on November 23.
In the 2019 assembly elections in Maharashtra, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42.