Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: In a significant development ahead of the Maharashtra elections, Samajwadi Party leader and actor Swara Bhaskar’s husband Fahad Ahmed joined the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Chandra Pawar) faction on Sunday. The party has fielded him from the Anushkti Nagar seat against Sana Malik of the NCP Ajit Pawar faction.
Fahad Ahmad was the state president of the Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha, a youth wing of the Samajwadi Party Maharashtra Pradesh.
He will take on Ajit Pawar-led NCP's Sana Malik, daughter of former minister Nawab Malik, who was arrested in February 2022 by the Enforcement Directorate for allegedly usurping a property in Kurla here with the help of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim's sister. Nawab Malik, the sitting MLA from Anushakti Nagar, was released on bail last year. He then sided with the Ajit Pawar faction, though he was not renominated, possibly due to objection from ally BJP.
Fahad Ahmad to contest from Anushakti Nagar constituency
While addressing a press conference, NCP-SCP leader Jayant Patil said, "Fahad Ahmad is a well-educated young Muslim youth and has worked as an activist across the country. People want us to give such leaders a chance. He was in the Samajwadi Party earlier but we had talks with SP and he came to our party. We gave him a ticket from our party from the Anushakti Nagar constituency."
Fahad Ahmad on joing NCP-SP
Speaking on his candidature from the Anushakti Nagar seat in the Maharashtra polls, Fahad said that he is thankful to NCP chief Sharad Pawar for asking SP chief Akhilesh Yadav that they want to announce his name as a candidate from NCP-SCP.
"The roots of Samajwadi Party and NCP-SCP are connected with 'Samajwad'. The public has been waiting for elections in Maharashtra to get rid of the current government. Samajwadi Party and NCP-SCP are like families. There is a very strong relationship between Mulayam Singh Yadav and Sharad Pawar & Supriya Sule and Akhilesh Yadav."
NCP (SP) third list
The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (SP) today announced its third list of candidates for nine seats for the Maharashtra assembly polls, including Fahad Ahmad.
The Sharad Pawar-led party has fielded Dnyayak Patni, son of late BJP MLA Rajendra Patni, from Karanja seat in Washim district. Rajendra Patni, who won the 2014 and 2019 assembly elections on a BJP ticket, died in February this year. However, his son chose to join the NCP (SP).
Other candidates announced by the party include Atul Wandile from Hinganghat (in Wardha), Ramesh Bang from Hingna (Nagpur), Rahul Kalate from Chinchwad and Ajit Gavhane from Bhosari (both in Pune), Mohan Jagtap from Majalgaon and Rajesaheb Deshmukh from Parli (both in Beed) and Siddhi Ramesh Kadam from Mohol seat in Solapur.
The nine names were declared by NCP (SP) Maharashtra unit chief Jayant Patil. With this, the party has announced candidates for 76 seats. Eleven of its candidates are women.
MVA seat-sharing formula
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which includes the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), Congress, and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) has confirmed its seat-sharing arrangement for 255 constituencies, with 85 seats assigned to each party. The remaining 23 seats will be allocated based on their respective candidate lists.
The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with counting for all 288 constituencies on November 23. In the 2019 Assembly elections, 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.
(With ANI inputs)
