"For first time, I have come alone to vote": Zeeshan Siddiqui casts vote, remembers his father

Siddiqui, who joined the NCP recently, remembered his father Baba Siddiqui who was killed and said that it is the first time that he has come alone to vote.

"For the first time, I have come alone to vote. My father (Baba Siddiqui) is no more. This is different but this will have to be done. I know that my father is with me. I started my day by visiting the graveyard in the morning...I think everyone must vote," he said.

Mumbai's Vandre (Bandra) East constituency is witnessing a fierce battle between sitting MLA Zeeshan Siddiqui, who won on a Congress ticket in 2019 and Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray's nephew Varun Sardesai.

NCP leader Baba Siddique was shot dead by three assailants near his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique's, office in Mumbai's Nirmal Nagar on October 12.

The gang led by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has claimed responsibility for the murder.

Earlier today, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP candidate from Baramati Assembly constituency, Ajit Pawar on Wednesday expressed confidence in winning the assembly polls, saying that he trusts the voters will send him to the Assembly for the eighth time.

One of the most anticipated battles in these elections is taking place in Baramati. Where Ajit Pawar is contesting Yugendra Pawar, the son of his younger brother, Shrinivas Pawar.

Meanwhile, voting began at 7 am on Wednesday for the single-phase of Maharashtra assembly elections and will conclude at 6 pm. Polling is taking place across 288 assembly constituencies.

Shifting alliances, ideological conflicts, complex caste dynamics, and emotional appeals have characterised the battle for power in the Maharashtra Assembly. The primary contest is between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

The ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction), while the opposition MVA comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction).

In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and the Congress won 44. In 2014, the BJP claimed 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42. (ANI)