Ujjwal Nikam replaces Poonam Mahajan for Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat. Why did BJP drop the two-time sitting MP?

Nikam, 71, is simply a well-known sanction successful the ineligible ellipse and was a authorities counsel successful the 26/11 Mumbai panic attack case. Among different cases, Nikam has besides handled the 2006 execution of BJP person Pramod Mahajan – Poonam Mahajan’s precocious father.

Mahajan, 43, was elected from the constituency successful 2014 and 2019. She is besides a erstwhile president of the BJP's younker wing.

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The saffron enactment has dropped each its MPs from Mumbai for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The 2 others are Manoj Kotak from Mumbai North East and Gopal Shetty from Mumbai North. While Shetty is simply a enactment seasoned and two-time MP and Mahajan a two-time MP, Kotak is simply a first-time MP.

But wherefore was Poonam Mahajan, a two-term MP dropped?

Surveys didn't favour Poonam

Dropping sitting MP’s is, perhaps, successful enactment with BJP’s pan-India strategy of fielding caller faces successful pursuance of its 370-seat people for the seven-phase wide elections. With 2 phases over, 5 much phases of elections are to beryllium held. The results volition beryllium announced connected June 4.

In Poonam Mahajan’s case, speculations suggested that she would not beryllium fielded this time, adjacent earlier the official announcement connected April 27. Many accidental the party’s interior surveys didn’t favour her candidature, particularly owed to her anti-incumbency during her past 2 presumption arsenic MP.

Some reports suggested that the enactment was successful 2 minds implicit Poonam Mahajan, hence the delayed announcement. One faction, said sources, wanted to tract Poonam; the different faction was against it.

“The Mumbai and Maharashtra BJP units had recommended the candidature of Poonam. But past the last telephone is taken aft deliberations astatine the Central Election Committee (CEC)," Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar was quoted arsenic saying by Indian Express.

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Poonam Mahajan won the Mumbai North Central doubly successful 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls. She defeated Priya Dutt, girl of seasoned actor-turned-politician and Congress person Sunil Dutt, successful some elections by a bully margin.

Ujwal Nikam, an outsider Maratha face

The authoritative announcement of Brahmin look Poonam’s replacement Ujjwal Nikam, came 48 hours aft the Congress fielded its Mumbai main Varsha Gaikwad arsenic the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) campaigner from the Mumbai North Central.

The Mumbai North Central constituency goes to polls successful the 5th signifier of Lok Sabha elections connected May 20.

Some reports suggest that the enactment fielded Nikam, a Marathi candidate, to onslaught a balance. It has already fielded 2 non-Marathis — Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North) and Mihir Kotecha (Mumbai East) from 2 of the six seats successful Mumbai.

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With Nikam, the BJP has announced candidates for 3 seats successful Mumbai. The Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced Rahul Shewale for Mumbai South Central. It is yet to denote candidates for Mumbai South and Mumbai North West

After 2 wins successful the past 2 elections, Poonam became a high-profile next-generation BJP person successful Maharashtra. Often lauded for her quality to talk successful the Lok Sabha some successful English and Hindi, Poonam was asked to pb the BJP’s nationalist younker wing.

Poonam’s replacement besides raises a question people connected the governmental bequest of precocious begetter Pramod Mahajan, erstwhile Union curate successful the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

Soon aft Nikam's candidature, Poonam thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for givin her the accidental ‘to serve’ the spot arsenic an MP for 10 years. “My relation model, my begetter Late Pramod Mahajan Ji showed maine the way of 'Nation first, past us'. I commune to God that I tin travel the aforesaid way passim my life," she said successful a station connected X. 

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Published: 28 Apr 2024, 12:52 PM IST