Maha assembly poll: Siddique’s son, 2 ex-BJP MPs on NCP second list

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP on Friday released its second list comprising seven candidates, including MLA Zeeshan Siddique and two former BJP MPs, for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. Zeeshan Siddique, whose father and NCP leader Baba Siddique was shot dead...

PTI

Mumbai, Updated At : 09:40 AM Oct 26, 2024 IST

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and others during his nomination rally in Nagpur on Friday. ANI

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP on Friday released its second list comprising seven candidates, including MLA Zeeshan Siddique and two former BJP MPs, for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Zeeshan Siddique, whose father and NCP leader Baba Siddique was shot dead earlier this month, will contest from Bandra East, which he had won in 2019 on the Congress ticket. He also joined the NCP.

The legislator on Thursday criticised the decision of the Shiv Sena (UBT), a partner of the Congress in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), to field Varun Sardesai in his constituency for the November 20 polls, saying staying together was never in their nature.

Zeeshan had been suspended from the Congress for cross-voting in the recent legislative council elections. His father and Congress veteran Baba Siddique had crossed over to the NCP, a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti coalition, earlier this year.

Former BJP MP Pratap Chikhalikar, who lost the Lok Sabha elections from Nanded, has been nominated from Loha.

BJP ex-MP Sanjay Kaka Patil, who unsuccessfully contested from Sangli in the general elections, has been given an NCP ticket. He also joined the party on Friday.

Sanjay Kaka Patil will face off with NCP (SP) candidate Rohit Patil, son of late NCP leader RR Patil, in the Tasgaon-Kavathe Mahankal constituency in Sangli district.

Nishikant Patil will take on NCP (SP) state president Jayant Patil in Islampur, while Sana Malik, daughter of former minister Nawab Malik, has been nominated from Anushakti Nagar in Mumbai.

The NCP has given the ticket to Sunil Tingre from Wadgaon Sheri in Pune.

It has picked Dnyaneshwar Katke from Shrirur. Until recently, Katke was the Pune district chief of the Uddhav Thackeray-led NCP (SP).

Earlier, the NCP had released its first list featuring 38 candidates. The NCP, BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena are the constituents of the ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra.

Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.