Maharashtra polls: NCP (SP) announces third list; fields actor Swara Bhaskar's husband
Mumbai, Oct 27: The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (SP) on Sunday announced its third list of candidates for nine seats for the Maharashtra assembly polls, the names including actor Swara Bhaskar's husband Fahad Ahmad.
Ahmad, who was the state president of the Samajwadi Party youth wing, switched over to the NCP (SP), which promptly fielded him from Anushakti Nagar seat here.
He will take on Ajit Pawar-led NCP's Sana Malik, daughter of former minister Nawab Malik, who was arrested in February 2022 by the Enforcement Directorate for allegedly usurping a property in Kurla here with the help of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim's sister.
Nawab Malik, the sitting MLA from Anushakti Nagar, was released on bail last year. He then sided with the Ajit Pawar faction, though he was not renominated, possibly due to objection from ally BJP.
The nine names were declared by NCP (SP) Maharashtra unit chief Jayant Patil. With this, the party has announced candidates for 76 seats. Eleven of its candidates are women.
The Sharad Pawar-led party has fielded Dnyayak Patni, son of late BJP MLA Rajendra Patni, from Karanja seat in Washim district. Rajendra Patni, who won the 2014 and 2019 assembly elections on a BJP ticket, died in February this year. However, his son chose to join the NCP (SP).
Other candidates announced by the party include Atul Wandile from Hinganghat (in Wardha), Ramesh Bang from Hingna (Nagpur), Rahul Kalate from Chinchwad and Ajit Gavhane from Bhosari (both in Pune), Mohan Jagtap from Majalgaon and Rajesaheb Deshmukh from Parli (both in Beed) and Siddhi Ramesh Kadam from Mohol seat in Solapur.
Polls to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will take place on November 20, while results will be declared on November 23.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
