Mumbai: “Kanoon ka sher tum aage badho, hum tumhare saath hai (Tiger of law go ahead, we are with you” and “Modi ji ki nishani — kamal ka phool, kamal ka phool (Modi’s symbol is lotus flower” were among the slogans raised by workers carrying different party flags at a ‘padyatra (foot march)’ in the western suburbs of Mumbai Thursday evening.
At the ‘padyatra‘ winding through the Bandra-Khar linking road in the Mumbai North Central constituency, the ‘kanoon ka sher‘ reference was to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Mahayuti candidate Ujjwal Nikam. A political novice, Nikam is a former special public prosecutor who represented the state in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts and the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.
The six seats of Mumbai go to polls 20 May in the fifth and final phase of elections in Maharashtra. On Thursday, Nikam was making his bid to voters, emphasising his role in sending terrorist Ajmal Kasab to the gallows in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack case and his and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment towards national security.
“I was fascinated with Modi’s thoughts and what he had done for our country. When I was working as a special public prosecutor, the (then chief minister) Modi’s government (in Gujarat) gave valuable assistance to collect evidence from (terrorist-turned-approver) David Headley because of which, I could expose the role of Pakistan in the (2008 Mumbai) terror case,” he said Thursday.
Nikam was declared the Mahayuti candidate from Mumbai North Central in the last week of April. Since then, he has been campaigning in his constituency, often accompanied by Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar.
“We have seen that people want peace and harmony, and Mumbai wants economic growth. And so, Mumbai has decided to go with Modi,” said Shelar. “We will win all six seats, hands down. The trend is for Modi (as PM). And, I feel all (those who are) educated or unfortunately could not complete education but have a sense of social work are joining us.”
On his campaign trail, Nikam also said, “Because of the Modi government, the image of our country has improved throughout the world, so it is the first time that India stands respected around the world, and nobody can say that we are a ‘banana’ country.”
New innings for Nikam
During the 2.5-km ‘padyatra’, Nikam stood in a truck, which carried his picture, with the taglines: ‘A law expert who turned out to be a villain for terrorists’ and ‘Ab ki baar 400 paar’. Many workers from different parties within the Mahayuti campaigned for Nikam.
Shouting slogans at the march was Deepti Kaate, one of the workers from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which has announced full support for the Mahayuti candidates. She said they have been a part of the Nikam campaign for the last 15 days, and at any given point, at least 80-100 MNS workers from the area have been participating.
“His work in (response to the) 26/11 (terror attack) is quite important. We are here to send him to Parliament. He should become the law minister in the future. Plus, Raj (Thackeray) ‘saheb’ said we have to give Modi unconditional support. So, we are here,” Kaate said.
A few workers from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, Republican Party of India (A), and Ajit Pawar-led NCP were also in the ‘padyatra’ with their flags and symbols. Across party lines, the theme was to seek votes on national security grounds by stressing that the country is in safe hands with Modi at its helm.
Ajay Jadhav, a Shiv Sena worker, said, “It does not matter if he is new to politics or not, he has worked for the country and has ‘deshbhakti (patriotism)’ inside him. So people will vote for him and Modi ji,” he said.
The Mumbai North Central seat was represented twice in 2014 and 2019 by BJP leader and daughter of former union minister Pramod Mahajan, Poonam Mahajan. However, the BJP dropped the experienced Mahajan this election, and Nikam, who prosecuted the suspects in the Pramod Mahajan murder case, got the ticket to make his political debut.
“Initially, I talked with Poonam Mahajan. She assured me she was going to join (my campaign). But now, I have received information that she is not keeping well, so she is not joining. However, she has given full support to me,” said Nikam.
As the truck moved through the residential bylanes of Bandra, many people stood on their balconies to see Nikam, who waved to the people and accepted their flowers and blessings from the truck.
The truck blasted announcements that people should vote for Nikam and, in turn, Modi on issues such as nationalism.
“The main issue I am reaching out to the people with is that the security of the country and international relations are important, and because of the Modi government, we have strengthened the relations with different nations. After the Pulwama attack, Pakistan never made complaints at the international forum because the Modi government has proven and convinced the whole world that Pakistan has been supporting terrorist organisations,” Nikam said.
Nikam is fighting against four-term MLA and Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad. This constituency is also new to Gaikwad, the MLA of Dharavi, which falls under the neighbouring Mumbai South Central constituency. As part of her campaign, Gaikwad has been asking for votes on issues such as inflation and saving the Constitution and democracy, keeping in mind that Modi’s guarantees have failed the people.
Gaikwad said she feels her simplicity, experience and ability to go out and interact with the people will count and play in her favour. “He (Nikam) is an advocate in the court; I advocate for people. I know ground realities better. I know my people well and how work gets done on the ground,” she said.
Stressing she is a “ground person”, she said, “I am easier to access — they (voters) know my house and office, so my simplicity is my biggest asset. I know how to make policies and implement them. I can fight on the road as well. He (Nikam), since the announcement of his candidature, has not raised the issues of his constituency even a single time. He only talks about nationalism.”
However, Nikam dismissed this experienced versus novice debate. “She might have the experience, but I am not a ‘kaccha khiladi (an inexperienced player)’. I have been a practising lawyer for 40-45 years and have been prosecuting crimes. I have dealt with high-profile cases and prosecuted many criminals. So, I have more experience than anybody else.”
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also read: Mumbai’s wings being clipped, BJP trying to break it away from Maharashtra — Uddhav Thackeray