In its latest move ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Friday unveiled its second list of candidates, adding seven names to the roster for the November 20 polls. Among the notable candidates are Zeeshan Siddique, who has been fielded from Mumbai's Bandra East, and Sana Malik, daughter of former minister Nawab Malik, who will contest from Anushakti Nagar in Mumbai.
Zeeshan Siddique, a former Congress MLA and son of recently slain NCP leader Baba Siddique, had won Bandra East in 2019 under a Congress ticket. He recently joined the NCP, following his father?s footsteps into the Mahayuti coalition. Siddique?s switch comes shortly after his criticism of the Shiv Sena (UBT) decision to field Varun Sardesai in Bandra East, a constituency Siddique currently holds. Commenting on the situation, he remarked, ?Staying together was never in their nature,? addressing the fractured alliances within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Siddique had previously faced suspension from Congress for cross-voting in legislative council elections, a move that strained his standing with his former party.
The NCP?s second list also includes two former BJP MPs who recently crossed over. Pratap Chikhalikar, who contested the Lok Sabha elections from Nanded but lost, has been nominated from the Loha constituency. Sanjay Kaka Patil, another BJP defector who ran unsuccessfully in Sangli, will now contest under the NCP banner from the Tasgaon-Kavathe Mahankal seat, where he will face off against NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) candidate Rohit Patil, son of the late NCP leader R.R. Patil.
In another prominent race, NCP has named Nishikant Patil to challenge NCP (SP) state president Jayant Patil in Islampur. The second list also includes Sunil Tingre from Wadgaon Sheri in Pune and Dnyaneshwar Katke from Shrirur, who previously served as the Pune district chief under the Uddhav Thackeray-led NCP (SP).
This second slate of candidates comes shortly after NCP?s initial list of 38 candidates, underscoring Ajit Pawar?s momentum as he prepares his faction for the upcoming election. The NCP is a key part of the ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra, alongside the BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and aims to consolidate its position in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly.
With polls scheduled for November 20 and results expected on November 23, the newly announced candidates add intensity to an election landscape already defined by shifting alliances and high-stakes contests across Maharashtra.
