Ajit Pawar to emerge as key player after Maharashtra polls, says Nawab Malik

Maharashtrarsquos Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party NCP chief Ajit Pawar is expected to emerge as a significant player in state politics following the November 20 assembly polls former minister Nawab Malik stated on SundayIn an interview with PTI over the phone Malik who is the NCP candidate for Mumbairsquos MankhurdShivajinagar seat discussed the evolving dynamics of Maharashtrarsquos political scene He claimed that ideological politics has largely faded in the state leaving alliances unpredictable According to PTI Malik noted ldquoThere are even speculations that NCP SP chief Sharad Pawar and Eknath Shinde leader of the Shiv Sena might join handsrdquoMalik who was previously arrested in a money laundering case and faces allegations of associations with individuals linked to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim is in a highstakes race against Abu Azmi a Samajwadi Party candidate backed by the Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA and Shiv Senarsquos Suresh Patil Despite the NCPrsquos alliance with Shiv Sena and the BJP in the Mahayuti coalition BJP leaders have announced they will not campaign for Malik who has faced ongoing criticism from the partyThe seasoned 65yearold politician highlighted the upcoming election as a closely contested battle between the Mahayuti coalition and the opposition MVA He expressed confidence that Ajit Pawar would play a pivotal role in Maharashtrarsquos political landscape after the election as per PTI reports In the last election the undivided NCP secured 54 out of the 288 assembly seatsIn 2023 Ajit Pawar parted ways with his uncle Sharad Pawar the NCPrsquos founder and formed an alliance with the Mahayuti coalition Ajit Pawar later acquired the partyrsquos name and its iconic clock symbol while Sharad Pawar now leads the NCP SP faction as part of the MVA alongside Congress and Shiv Sena UBTMalik also expressed gratitude to former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar for their support during his legal troubles He noted that neither sought his resignation when he was arrested in 2022 while the MVA was still in power ldquoI have already expressed my gratitude to them I spoke to Uddhav ji over the phone after my release and met Pawar saheb personallyrdquo Malik shared with PTICurrently Malik is on medical bail until his full bail plea is resolved in the Bombay High Court regarding his money laundering charges He defended himself against allegations saying ldquoIrsquoll sue anyone defaming me by accusing me of links with Dawood Ibrahimrdquo PTI reportedMalik revealed his allegiance to Ajit Pawar appreciating the Deputy Chief Ministerrsquos support during his challenging period He accused his rival incumbent MLA Abu Asim Azmi of covertly aligning with the government According to Malik Azmi has supported the administration in legislative council and Rajya Sabha votes and maintains control over the local administrationReflecting on recent election data Malik noted that the Mahayuti candidate for the Mumbai North seat received only 28000 votes from MankhurdShivajinagar in the last Lok Sabha elections ldquoYou canrsquot win assembly elections with 28000 votes Though Mahayuti has fielded a candidate here Suresh Patil from Sena my candidature isnrsquot a personal choice but rather a response to the peoplersquos wishes I am confident of my victoryrdquo he asserted to PTIAccording to Malik the people of MankhurdShivajinagar are eager for change and want an end to antisocial activities and the drug issues prevalent in the constituency over the past 15 yearsPreviously as an MVA minister Malik was a vocal critic of the Narcotics Control Bureau NCB particularly targeting thenMumbai zonal director Sameer Wankhede following the 2021 arrest of Aryan Khan son of actor Shah Rukh Khan on drug charges aboard a cruise ship Due to insufficient evidence the NCB later dismissed the charges against Aryan Khan and five othersIn a move to bolster its presence in Mumbai the NCP has also fielded Malikrsquos daughter Sana Malik as a candidate from Anushakti Nagar a seat her father formerly represented multiple times Though the BJP remains unwilling to campaign for Nawab Malik it has expressed no objections to his daughterrsquos candidaturePolling for Maharashtrarsquos 288 assembly seats will take place on November 20 with vote counting set for November 23With inputs from PTI