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BMC Elections : BJP shuts the door on alliance with NCP if Nawab Malik leads the party for the BMC polls
- by Webdesk
- 21 Nov 2025
Source: Hindustan Times
MUMBAI: At a time when the BJP and Shiv Sena are already embroiled in a bitter political tussle over the poaching of leaders in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, another conflict has surfaced within the Mahayuti alliance. The third partner in the coalition, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), is now facing friction with the BJP due to its decision to hand over the command of the party for the upcoming BMC elections to senior leader Nawab Malik.
BJP’s BMC election in-charge Ashish Shelar has made the party’s stance extremely clear — if the NCP chooses to go into the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections under the leadership of Nawab Malik, the BJP will not remain an ally. “The position we held during the assembly elections continues unchanged for the BMC elections as well,” Shelar asserted. He clarified that the BJP’s opposition was not personal, but rooted in Malik’s legal history. “We are not against Malik as an individual. But he has been accused of having links with Haseena Parkar. The BJP will not form an alliance with anyone associated with criminal elements,” he stated firmly.
Nawab Malik is currently facing allegations of involvement with members of the Dawood network — specifically Haseena Parkar, Salim Patel and Sardar Khan — and of participating in a real estate money-laundering case related to a piece of land in Kurla many years ago. These charges were publicly highlighted by Devendra Fadnavis in February 2022 when he was serving as the Leader of the Opposition. Malik, a five-term MLA representing Nehru Nagar and later the Anushakti Nagar constituencies since 1996, has previously served as a minister in both Congress-NCP as well as MVA governments. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in February 2022 and is currently out on medical bail as ordered by the Supreme Court.
Senior BJP figure Chandrashekhar Bawankule commented that it is up to the NCP to distribute responsibilities to its leaders, but the BJP is confident that Ajit Pawar will assess the matter wisely. “We believe Ajit Pawar will take an appropriate decision regarding Malik,” Bawankule said, hinting that the ball lies in NCP’s court.
Meanwhile, the opposition has launched an attack on the BJP, accusing it of hypocrisy. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve questioned the inconsistency in the BJP’s statements. “If the BJP considers Nawab Malik anti-national, how did he manage to come out of prison? And if you oppose Malik so strongly, why did you allow Ajit Pawar to include him as a candidate during the assembly elections?” Danve asked. On the other hand, senior NCP leader Praful Patel defended the party’s decision to entrust responsibilities to Malik. “Nawab Malik is a senior leader of the NCP and the leadership has appropriately given him responsibility. Moreover, the allegations against him have not yet been proven in court,” Patel stated.
The NCP leadership has maintained that it does not rely on any political party for survival. According to an NCP insider, the BJP’s attack is part of a broader political strategy. “Targeting Malik gives the BJP an opportunity to energize its support base and amplify its Hindutva narrative,” the leader said. “If the BJP agreed to allow Malik to lead the elections, it would lose the chance to criticize the Shiv Sena (UBT) for partnering with the Congress and allegedly appeasing Muslims. Additionally, taking an anti-Malik stand gives the BJP an advantage in retaining voter support in constituencies where the NCP would otherwise pose competition.”
With the municipal elections approaching, tensions within the Mahayuti alliance are rising rapidly. Whether the NCP sticks to Malik as its face for the BMC polls or chooses an alternate option could determine whether the ruling alliance stands united or fragments further in Mumbai’s fiercely contested civic battle.
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