"Will win with a huge margin": NCP leader Nawab Malik on Maharashtra assembly polls

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 30 (ANI): Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik has expressed confidence in winning the upcoming assembly elections from the Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar assembly seat despite opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena Shinde faction.
"Bharatiya Janata Party or the Shiv Sena Shinde faction is opposing us is not a matter of concern for us. This is expected to happen and we will win with a huge margin in both assemblies," Nawab Malik said in a statement.
BJP and Shiv Sena Shinde faction are opposing the nomination of Nawab Malik due to his alleged links with fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar has announced that the party would not be campaigning in support of Nationalist Congress Party's (Ajit Pawar) Nawab Malik.
Earlier today, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya said that Nawab Malik is a terrorist and he tried to break the country into pieces.
"Nawab Malik is a terrorist who tried to break India into pieces. He is Dawood's agent and Ajit Pawar's NCP has betrayed the country by giving ticket to Nawab Malik. On behalf of Mahayuti, Eknath Shinde's candidate Suresh Krishna Patil (Bullet Patil) of the Bharatiya Janata Party started campaigning yesterday," said Somaiya.
On Tuesday, after Nawab Malik filed his nomination, a new challenge emerged in front of the Mahayuti alliance as the Mahayuti had already announced Shiv Sena's Suresh Krishna Patil as the 'official' candidate on the same seat.
Nawab Malik, a two-time MLA from Anushakti Nagar, had earlier in the month announced that he would contest from the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar Assembly constituency as an independent candidate after being denied a ticket by the NCP due to pressure by the Mahayuti ally BJP.
Sana Malik, daughter of Nawab Malik is contesting from the Anushakti Nagar assembly seat as an NCP candidate (Ajit Pawar).
The BJP is in alliance with NCP (Ajit Pawar), and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), called the Mahayuti alliance. The other major alliance for the state's assembly election is the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising of Congress, Sharad Pawar-led NCP, and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.
The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with counting for all 288 constituencies set for 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. (ANI)