The BJP on Wednesday accused ally NCP’s candidate Nawab Malik of being linked to “terrorist Dawood Ibrahim”, over fears that his candidature could deal a blow to its effort to sharpen the Hindutva pitch in poll-bound Maharashtra.

Malik, facing charges in a money-laundering case linked to underworld don Dawood, stunned the BJP by filing his papers as an NCP (Ajit Pawar) candidate on Tuesday. The move is being seen as an effort by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar to adopt an assertive stand against the BJP and woo Muslim voters. Malik filed his nomination from the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency where another Mahayuti partner — Shiv Sena (Ekanth Shinde) — has already fielded a candidate.

The move went against the BJP’s hardline Hindutva pitch to counter rising caste tensions in Maharashtra arising out of the protracted agitation by Marathas demanding reservation under the OBC category. It is believed to have cost the BJP dearly in the general election, with the party’s Lok Sabha seat tally dropping to nine from 23 in 2019.

“Nawab Malik should accept our wishes on his candidature from the NCP. We are firm on our view about Malik, which Devendraji (deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis) had said initially,” BJP Maharashtra president Chandrasekhar Bawankule told reporters
on Wednesday.

Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya was quoted by news agency ANI as saying: “Nawab Malik is a terrorist who tried to break India into pieces. He is Dawood’s agent and Ajit Pawar’s NCP has betrayed the country by giving a ticket to Malik.”