Fahad Ahmad, an activist and husband of actress Swara Bhaskar, has been nominated as the party candidate for the Anushakti Nagar constituency in the forthcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, under the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) headed by Sharad Pawar. Ahmad was the leader of the youth wing of the Samajwadi Party, where he took a step backward from the Samajwadi Party to join NCP (SP).

"The roots of Samajwadi Party and NCP-SCP are connected with 'Samajwad'...The public has been waiting for elections in Maharashtra to get rid of the current government. Samajwadi Party and NCP-SCP are like families. There is a very strong relationship between Mulayam Singh Yadav and Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule and Akhilesh Yadav," said Fahad Ahmad

He also added, "By seeing the condition of Anushakti Nagar you'll not consider it as Mumbai. They don't even have clean drinking water facilities. We'll work on education, women's safety, and health. My friends earlier used to say to me that Bombay feels safe but now the Badlapur incident took place. I promise to make a better Anushakti Nagar by utilising the knowledge that I have. We'll fight the elections on issues and we'll surely win it." 

Who will Ahmad face in the polls?

Ahmad is likely to face Sana Malik who is a candidate from Ajit Pawar faction of NCP and daughter of former Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik. Notably, Nawab Malik, currently out on bail after his arrest in 2022 on charges of property usurpation involving the alleged assistance of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s sister, has switched allegiances to support Ajit Pawar’s group.  Although Nawab Malik previously represented the Anushakti Nagar seat, he is not running in this election, with reports suggesting that the BJP, an ally, may have raised concerns.

Among the new faces in NCP (SP)'s recently released list of candidates is Dnyayak Patni, son of the late BJP MLA Rajendra Patni who died earlier this year. Dnyayak Patni has been given a ticket to contest from the Karanja constituency in Washim district, a seat his father had won in both 2014 and 2019 under the BJP banner before his sudden death.

The list also includes several other notable candidates: like Atul Wandile from Hinganghat in Wardha, Ramesh Bang from Hingna in Nagpur, Rahul Kalate and Ajit Gavhane from Chinchwad and Bhosari respectively, Pune; Mohan Jagtap from Majalgaon, Rajesaheb Deshmukh from Parli in the Beed district, and Siddhi Ramesh Kadam from Mohol in Solapur.

With 76 seats now declared, including 11 female candidates, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) gears up for the November 20 elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly, with results expected on November 23.