How Samajwadi Party youth leader a.k.a Swara Bhasker’s husband got a surprise ticket

With Malik declaring his volition to contention from Azmi’s turf, the second got chap INDIA state NCP (SP) to speed-induct Ahmad and tract him. On Sunday, Ahmad was named arsenic the NCP (SP) campaigner from Anushakti Nagar, wherever Nawab Malik’s girl Sana is making her governmental debut.

A erstwhile alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), 32-year-old Fahad, who is primitively from Bareilly successful Uttar Pradesh, has truthful acold dabbled lone successful pupil politics.

Sana’s introduction into the contention followed the BJP’s insistence that the NCP should not tract Nawab Malik. The BJP has often targeted Malik, accusing him of links with Dawood Ibrahim. He was besides arrested by the Enforcement Directorate successful February 2022 successful a wealth laundering case, and spent 18 months down bars, earlier his merchandise pursuing the Ajit Pawar-led NCP’s alignment with the BJP.

Malik was believed to person conceded the BJP’s request by backing retired and letting the NCP summons for Anuskahti Nagar spell to girl Sana instead.

But then, past week, Malik announced that helium would contention from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar – a constituency won by Azmi successful 2019, and 2 different times antecedently – careless of whether the NCP backs him oregon not. This is acceptable to importantly interaction Azmi’s electoral prospects, with the Muslim ballot getting divided among the heavyweights.

Similarly, successful Anushakti Nagar, Fahad, counting connected the NCP (SP)’s base, could wounded Sana, perchance siphoning disconnected her votes.

Given that the BJP is an state of the Ajit Pawar NCP, galore bash not regularisation the BJP’s manus successful the astonishment determination of Malik to participate the tract against Azmi.

A Mankhurd resident, Idrees Sayyad, said the Muslim assemblage is not blessed astir the developments. “Nawab Malik is nether important unit owed to his pending ineligible issues. Many spot his introduction into Mankhurd arsenic a strategy by higher powers to fragment Muslim votes and undermine Azmi who, contempt his flaws, remains a respected fig successful the community.”

The Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency wherever Malik and Azmi volition look disconnected has a 53% Muslim electorate. In Anushakti Nagar, they are 23%, and Ahmad astir apt is successful a amended presumption to woo them fixed his relation with the NCP (SP) and Congress.

Many salient members of the Muslim assemblage person urged Malik and Ahmad to hide the hatchet, to halt a part of votes.

The rivalry betwixt Malik and Azmi began agelong aft some started their governmental careers with the SP. In 1996, Malik won his archetypal predetermination from Mumbai’s Nehru Nagar arsenic an SP leader, nether Azmi’s enactment successful the state. The archetypal camaraderie gave mode to ego clashes aft Azmi failed to marque his ain governmental debut adjacent arsenic Malik went connected to go a Minister of State, and soon saw himself arsenic an adjacent to Azmi.

In October 2001, Azmi expelled Malik from the SP, and Malik aligned himself with the agreed NCP led by Sharad Pawar.

An SP person requesting anonymity said: “We person an knowing with the NCP to tract Fahad Ahmad connected their ticket. Our intent is clear: if Nawab Malik aims to disrupt our leader’s (Azmi’s) election, we volition respond successful kind.”

Malik said the crushed for his determination to contention from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar was “the people’s wish”. “There is rampant lawlessness here, and generations are suffering owed to the cause epidemic,” Malik said.

What changeable Fahad Ahmad to prominence was a pupil protestation helium led astatine TISS successful Mumbai successful 2018 against the rollback of a interest waiver for students from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs. He successfully mobilized implicit a 1000 students, making it 1 of the largest and longest pupil protests successful a metropolis wherever specified movements are often rare.

He participated successful different protests specified arsenic for students whose assistance applications had been denied. He declined to judge his M.Phil grade from the institute’s chairperson, resulting successful suspension of his PhD registration. He was besides an progressive subordinate successful the Anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests crossed India. He joined the SP successful July 2022, and became its younker helping president successful Maharashtra.

Filing his nomination, Ahmad said: “The conflict against the Mahayuti transcends personalities, parties, and symbols. Our struggles whitethorn differ, but we are agreed successful our ideology. Mulayam Singh (SP founder) and Sharad Pawar (united NCP supremo) are some socialists. We are 1 family, sharing the aforesaid vision. In my erstwhile party, I fought against divisive forces, and successful this caller party, I volition proceed that combat against those seeking to disagreement our nation.”