Zeeshan Siddique, Baba Siddique’s son, joins Ajit Pawar’s NCP; to contest from Bandra East

Zeeshan Siddique, son of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Friday.

He was expelled from Congress in August for allegedly voting against the party during the Maharashtra legislative council elections, a claim he has denied.

“It is an emotional day for me and my family. I am thankful to Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare for believing in me in these tough times. I have got the nomination from Bandra East, I am sure that with the love and support of all the people, I will definitely win Bandra East yet again,” said Zeeshan after joining the NCP.

The 32-year-old leader is the son of Baba Siddique, a leader of the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) and former Maharashtra minister, who was shot dead earlier this month.

In the 2019 elections, Zeeshan Siddique won the Vandre East (Bandra East) seat by defeating Shiv Sena’s Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, a former Mayor of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

The seat has now been designated for Congress ally Shiv Sena (UBT) under a seat-sharing agreement within the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Varun Sardesai, the nephew of party chief Uddhav Thackeray, has been selected as their candidate.

After his father’s murder Zeeshan is expected to gain support in the seat. Baba Siddiqui, 66, was shot dead outside Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra on October 12. Police have arrested 14 individuals and are investigating various aspects, including contract killing and business rivalry, to determine the motives behind the murder.

Baba Siddiqui, a former Maharashtra minister, served as the Congress MLA for Vandre from 1999 to 2009. After the seat was dissolved and divided, he represented Vandre West from 2009 to 2014. Earlier this year, he left the Congress and joined the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP.