Mumbai, 27 Oct

Samajwadi Party leader and actor Swara Bhaskar's husband Fahad Ahmad joined the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Chandra Pawar) on Sunday and was fielded from the Anushakti Nagar seat against Sana Malik of NCP (Ajit Pawar).

While addressing a press conference here, NCP-SCP leader Jayant Patil said, "Fahad Ahmad is a well-educated young Muslim youth and has worked as an activist across the country. People want us to give a chance to such leaders. He was in the Samajwadi Party earlier but we had talks with SP and he came to our party. We gave him a ticket from our party from the Anushakti Nagar constituency."

Speaking on his candidature from the Anushakti Nagar seat in the Maharashtra polls, Fahad said that he is thankful to NCP chief Sharad Pawar for asking SP chief Akhilesh Yadav that they want to announce his name as a candidate from NCP-SCP.

"Sharad Pawar is also a socialist leader and I am thankful to him that he has asked Akhilesh Yadav that they want to announce my name as a candidate from NCP-SCP," he said.

Fahad Ahmad was the state president of the Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha, a youth wing of the Samajwadi Party Maharashtra Pradesh.

Earlier on Friday, the NCP (SP) announced its second list of 22 candidates for the Maharashtra Assembly elections scheduled for November 20.

At a press conference in Mumbai, Jayant Patil revealed the names of the 22 candidates.

The list of candidates includes Satish Anna Patil (Erandol - 16), Satish Chavan (Gangapur - 111), Pandurang Barora (Shahapur - 135), Rahul Mote (Paranda - 243), Sandeep Kshirsagar (Beed - 230), Mayura Kale (Arvi - 44), Deepika Chavan (Baglan - 116), Manikrao Shinde (Yevla - 119), Uday Sangle (Sinnar - 120), Sunita Charoskar (Dindori - 122), Ganesh Gite (Nashik East - 123), Omi Kalani (Ulhasnagar - 141), Satyashil Sherkar (Junnar - 195), Sulakshana Sheelwant (Pimpri - 206), Sachin Dodke (Khadakwasla - 211), Ashwini Kadam (Parvati - 212), Amit Bhangre (Akole - 216), Abhishek Kalamkar (Ahilya Nagar - 225), Uttamrao Jankar (Malshiras - 254), Deepak Chavan (Phaltan - 255), Nandinatai Bhabulkar Kupekar (Chandgad - 271), and Madan Karande (Ichalkaranji - 279).

Previously, on October 24, the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) released its first list of 45 candidates for the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which includes the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), Congress, and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) has confirmed its seat-sharing arrangement for 255 constituencies, with 85 seats assigned to each party. The remaining 23 seats will be allocated based on their respective candidate lists.

The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with counting for all 288 constituencies on November 23.

In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42. -ANI