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After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) picked 26/11 prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam as its candidate from Mumbai North Central, the latter called it the "second inning in the new temple of democracy."
He said that he considers politics as an opportunity to serve the nation and not a "fight." The 26/11 prosecutor thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief JP Nadda and state party leaders in Maharashtra for giving him "responsibility." "Indeed, it is a very pleasant and surprising moment for me. I was practicing against criminals, now God has given me the second inning in the new temple of democracy, i.e., the Parliament," Nikam told reporters following the announcement on Saturday. "For years, you saw me fighting against the accused in court. But today, BJP has given me the responsibility for which I am thankful to PM Modi, BJP chief JP Nadda, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekar Bawankule, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, and Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar. I know that politics is not for me but through you, I would like to tell everyone that the country's Constitution, laws and security would be my priorities," he added. Vowing to adopt a "new funda" of serving the nation through politics, Nikam said, "The constituency from where I have been told to contest is a very important constituency of Mumbai. This has been represented by late Manohar Joshi, Ramdas Athawale and Poonam Mahajan. These people have always raised questions in Parliament in the national interest." "I don't consider politics a fight. Social service can be done through politics. Service to the nation can also be done through politics. I will adopt this new funda. I have received the opportunity to serve the nation, through politics. So, I consider myself fortunate," he added. Nikam, a senior public prosecutor, has appeared for the government in several high-profile cases, including the 26/11 Mumbai attack case. Ujjwal Nikam will be contesting the polls against Congress's Varsha Gaikwad. The BJP decided to drop sitting MP Poonam Mahajan, the two-time party MP, from the Mumbai North Central seat. In 2014, Mahajan secured victory from the Mumbai North Central seat, triumphing over incumbent MP Priya Dutt, daughter of the late actor and Congress leader Sunil Dutt. Poonam repeated this success in 2019 too. Maharashtra, with its 48 Lok Sabha seats, is the second-largest contributor to the Lower House of Parliament after Uttar Pradesh. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 out of 25 contested seats, while the undivided Shiv Sena secured 18 out of 23 seats. The undivided NCP, part of the opposition alliance, contested 19 seats and won four. Following the split in the Shiva Sena 2022, the Eknath Shinde faction aligned with the BJP. The voting in Mumbai North-Central will be held on May 20 in the fifth phase. The results will be announced on June 4. (ANI)
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