The Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Ajit Pawar has released its list of star campaigners for the upcoming municipal corporation elections, triggering fresh political ripples within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
The list includes controversial senior leader Nawab Malik and former minister Dhananjay Munde, who had resigned earlier after his close aide Walmik Karad was named as an accused in the Santosh Deshmukh murder case. Their inclusion has reportedly not gone down well with alliance partners.
Sources said Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde are unhappy with Malik’s involvement in the campaign. The discomfort is said to have slowed seat-sharing negotiations for the civic polls.
Earlier, there were discussions within the Mahayuti to contest the Mumbai and other municipal corporation elections together, excluding Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. However, with Malik’s name figuring prominently in the campaigners’ list, both Fadnavis and Shinde are learnt to have expressed reservations. In this backdrop, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is now likely to contest most municipal corporation elections independently.
Meanwhile, the NCP formally announced a list of 40 star campaigners for the elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra. The list was released by state NCP president and MP Sunil Tatkare.
Apart from Ajit Pawar, the campaigners include National Working President MP Praful Patel, ministers Hasan Mushrif, Narhari Zirwal, Babasaheb Patil, Makarand Patil, Dattatraya Bharane, Anna Bansode, Aditi Tatkare and Indranil Naik, along with several former ministers, MLAs and party office-bearers. Senior leaders such as Nawab Malik, Sayaji Shinde, Mushtaq Antule, Sameer Bhujbal, Amol Mitkari, Sana Malik-Sheikh, Rupalitai Chakankar and Zeeshan Siddiqui have also been named.
