In the Maharashtra assembly elections, Fahad Ahmed is one of the prominent figures among all the big faces. It is seen as a major shock that Fahad Ahmed received a ticket for the assembly elections. Fahad Ahmed, who previously led the youth wing of SP in Maharashtra, received the ticket from NCP (Sharad Pawar). This marks Fahad’s inaugural assembly election. He is running for office in Anushakti Nagar.
He previously led the branch as president before receiving the nomination from NCP (Sharad Pawar). This is the inaugural assembly election for Fahad. He is running for the position from Anushakti Nagar.
Sana Malik, the daughter of ex-Maharashtra government minister Nawab Malik, is launching her political journey by running for elections in this area. Sana Malik is running as a candidate for the NCP (Ajit Pawar).
A fierce battle is underway for tickets for nearly every seat in the Maharashtra assembly elections. A intense battle is underway for every seat between the factions of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and Mahayuti.
As per political updates in Maharashtra, BJP advised Ajit Pawar’s group of NCP not to nominate Nawab Malik in the elections due to BJP’s allegations of Nawab Malik being associated with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Nawab Malik was taken into custody by the ED in 2022 for his involvement in a money laundering case and remained incarcerated for a period of 18 months.
Nawab Malik is said to have secured the ticket for his daughter Sana Malik from Anushakti Nagar instead of himself, in response to the BJP’s request, but he later declared his own candidacy for Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar.
Fahad Ahmed, aged 32, hails from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. He graduated from Aligarh Muslim University and Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
In 2018, Fahad Ahmed led a large demonstration in Mumbai opposing the removal of fee waivers for SC-ST and OBC students. This brought him a lot of focus. He also became the symbol of the demonstrations in Mumbai opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
In July 2022, he became a member of SP and was appointed as the president of the youth wing in Maharashtra by the party. Fahad Ahmed declares that he will persist in his battle against the factions causing division in the nation.
The ticket was given to Fahad Ahmed due to a conflict between two prominent Muslim leaders in Maharashtra politics. The leaders in question are Abu Azmi, who is the chief of Maharashtra unit of SP, and Nawab Malik, a leader from NCP. Nawab Malik is running for election in Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, which is Abu Azmi’s constituency. Considering this, Azmi requested NCP (Sharad Pawar) to nominate Fahad Ahmed and shortly after, Fahad was announced as the NCP (SP) candidate from Anushakti Nagar.
An age-old political feud exists between Nawab Malik and Abu Azmi. Both began their political journey with SP, but their political bond soured over time. In October 2001, Abu Azmi ejected Nawab Malik from SP and Nawab Malik then became a member of the united NCP under Sharad Pawar’s leadership.
Nawab Malik is running for office in Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar in the upcoming assembly election. Abu Azmi, the state president of the Samajwadi Party, is also running for election in Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar. He has been elected from this seat three times. Undoubtedly, the Muslim votes in this locality will be split between these two prominent leaders. However, Sana Malik could face potential losses because Fahad Ahmed is running in Anushakti Nagar.
Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar assembly constituency has a majority of 53% Muslim voters, whereas Anushakti Nagar has 23% Muslim voters. Fahad Ahmed is likely to receive a significant number of Muslim votes because of the partnership between Sharad Pawar’s NCP and Congress.
During the elections, there is speculation that BJP might be involved in Nawab Malik’s decision to run against Abu Azmi due to the alliance with Ajit Pawar’s NCP.
Idris Syed, a Shivaji Mankhurd Nagar resident, expresses that the Muslim community is displeased by these electoral changes, viewing Nawab Malik’s candidacy as an attempt to split Muslim votes and undermine Abu Azmi.