'First time...': Zeeshan shares voting experience without father Baba Siddique
Zeeshan Siddique, the Nationalist Congress Party candidate from Bandra East, cast his vote in the Maharashtra Assembly elections on Wednesday. It was his first voting experience without his father, Baba Siddique. "For the first time, I have come alone to vote. My father is no more. This is different but this will have to be done," he said after casting his vote.
Zeeshan visits father's grave before voting
Before heading to the polling station, Zeeshan paid a visit to his father's grave. Baba, a former minister and influential NCP leader, was assassinated on October 12 near his son's office. The attackers were allegedly associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Despite the personal loss, Zeeshan remained committed to his political duties and expressed a sense of spiritual support from his late father during this challenging time.
Zeeshan faces off against Varun Sardesai in Bandra East
The Bandra East constituency is seeing a high-profile contest between Zeeshan and Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray's nephew Varun Sardesai. Zeeshan had won the seat in 2019 as a Congress candidate before switching to the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction in October. The Maharashtra Assembly elections started at 7:00am across 288 constituencies and will end at 6:00pm. Over 9.7 crore voters are registered to pick from 4,136 candidates this year.
Maharashtra Assembly elections: Key alliances and figures
The primary contest in these polls is between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The Mahayuti consists of BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction). Meanwhile, the MVA consists of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction). Some prominent faces in these elections include Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar from Baramati, who is up against his nephew Yugendra Pawar.
