Nationalist Congress Pary (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar, who is leading the party’s Jan Samman Yatra, reached out to the minority communities in view of the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls.
The Deputy Chief Minister addressed two public meetings in Mumbai on Monday – one in Bandra East and another in Anushakti Nagar.
In Bandra East, rebel Congress leader Zeeshan Siddique was seen with Pawar suggesting his sift to NCP.
In his speech, Pawar spoke about the benefits of various state-sponsored schemes like Ladki Bahini Yojna, fake narratives and the Waqf board amendment bill.
“We will take the state forward along the ideology of Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar. We work for the people. Support Mahayuti to for keeping the Ladki Bahini scheme running for the next five years,” Pawar said.
“We know how to source money through taxes. Nobody is going to change the Constitution. So don’t believe in a fake narrative. Waqf board amendment bill has been sent to the Joint Parliamentary Committee. If there is any injustice in it, we will discuss it. There is Nitish Kumar, Chandrababu Naidu, Chirag Paswan and Eknath Shinde in NDA. I am saying with responsibility that minorities should not worry,” he added.
Zeeshan Siddiqui hinted that we will contest from the NCP. “I will fight from this seat again and win. I was not getting funds for Bandra East during MVA rule. I was told it was the Chief Minister’s home seat. My party didn’t support me. I want to work but if someone stops us from work we will fight,” he said.
Zeeshan also said that the Congress had refused to give him a nomination from the seat. His father, Baba Siddiqui, has also joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction.
In Anushakti Nagar, Pawar was seen with NCP MLA Nawab Malik. Notably, the BJP has been opposed to Malik’s presence in Mahayuti. Malik was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in February 2022 in connection with a money laundering case. He was released on bail in August 2023.
In December 2023, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis issued a strongly worded letter opposing the inclusion of Malik in the ruling alliance. Even on Monday, Fadnavis reiterated that his party’s position on Malik remains unchanged.
In Anushakti Nagar, Nawab Malik’s daughter, Sana, is leading the campaign. She is likely to contest on this seat. She was also named NCP spokesperson recently.
After the Yatra, Pawar also dined with Nawab Malik.