Ajit Pawar campaigns for Nawab Malik amid stiff opposition from BJP
Mumbai, Nov 7: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who heads the ruling NCP, on Thursday campaigned for party candidate Nawab Malik, and held a roadshow in his support, ignoring ally BJP's stiff opposition to his candidature.
Pawar also held a roadshow for Malik's daughter Sana, who is contesting her maiden assembly poll from Anushakti Nagar in the city.
"I am discharging my responsibility. We are campaigning for him (Malik)," Pawar said.
Malik's candidature has been opposed by the BJP, which has alleged that the former Maharashtra minister has links with the underworld. When Maha Vikas Agahdi (MVA) was in power, Malik, a former minister, was critical of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who is now the deputy chief minister.
Earlier in the day, Pawar said no charge has been proven against Malik who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2022 and later granted bail.
Despite the opposition, Pawar nominated Malik as party candidate from Mankhurd-Shivajinagar assembly constituency in Mumbai. The seat is witnessing a friendly fight as Shiv sena has fielded Suresh Patil from the seat.
Samajwadi Party's Abu Asim Azmi and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's Jagdish Khandekar are also in fray. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi have also fielded candidates in this multi-cornered contest.
Amid the BJP's opposition, Malik had said he was not a candidate of the Mahayuti, but of the NCP.
"He (Pawar) nominated me as a party candidate, he came for my campaigning. There can't be anything bigger than that," Malik told reporters on Thursday.
The Mankhurd-Shivajinagar constituency has been represented by Samajwadi Party's Abu Azmi for the last three terms.
Pawar said development has not taken place since the last 15 years.
There are problems related to garbage. People fall ill. Some decisions need to be taken regarding this. After Nawab Malik is elected, all these problems will be solved, the deputy CM said.
#WATCH मुंबई: महाराष्ट्र के उपमुख्यमंत्री अजित पवार ने कहा, "मैं अपने बहुत से उम्मीदवारों की रैलियों में जाता हूं। मैं सना और नवाब भाई की रैली में आया हूं...आप लोगों का उत्साह देख सकते हैं। सभी वर्गों के लोग इसमें शामिल हुए हैं, हमें खुशी है कि हमें लोगों का समर्थन मिल रहा है।… pic.twitter.com/XvI31uif10
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
