Mumbai: A crowd, primarily from the minority community and including a large number of women, waited for Bandra East Assembly member Zeeshan Siddique in an open area opposite the Golibar Kabrastan at Santacruz East on Friday evening. Ahead of Siddique’s arrival, a song from the NCP (Ajit Pawar) was played on the public address system, followed by a speaker rendering a prayer. The speaker pointed out the need to elect someone who would convey their problems to the govt. Like everyone else, the community’s agenda should be development.
A little later, Zeeshan arrived and addressed the gathering, which by then swelled. Siddique told the crowd that he did a lot of work in the last five years. However, in the first 2.5 years under MVA, he was stymied by the Shiv Sena (UBT), and funds were not given to him and that it was Ajit Pawar who helped him at that point. Siddique moved on to list the development works he carried out in that area and the constituency. Zeeshan intermittently stopped his address whenever prayers were heard on loudspeakers.
Siddique made an emotional pitch and recounted the murder of his father on the night of October 12. “My father taught me everything in life, except how to live without him. What happened a month ago is something that I will never forget. It was a tragedy; someone lost a brother, someone lost a guide, someone lost a leader, and I lost my father,” said Siddique. He also said that those who killed his father came to kill both his father and him, but even in his last moments, his father had saved him.
He always taught me to fight for the poor, and I learned that from him. After the incident, I never thought I could contest the election. I didn’t have faith in myself. But later, I spoke to my mother and sister. They said that if my father were here, he would have wanted me to fight this battle and fulfil his incomplete dream, said Siddique. He appealed to all those present at the meeting to bring 10 to 15 people with them to the booth to increase the voting percentage.
After completing his address, Zeeshan moved on to a meeting near Siddharth Colony, which was being addressed by NCP leader Ajit Pawar. A long stretch of the service road adjoining the Western Express Highway was occupied by NCP supporters, including a large number of women sporting pink turbans. Here too, Siddique told the crowd about how he never got funds during the MVA govt and that he was not even invited to inaugurations happening beside his office. My friend Parth Pawar told Ajit Dada that injustice was being heaped on a youth. At a time when I had not even thought of joining the NCP, Ajit Dada fought my battle and got me funds, and I am grateful to him from that time, said Siddique. The former Congressmen also said that his erstwhile party wanted him to contest from seats such as Versova and Byculla. Siddique also claimed that MVA leaders came to his house after his father’s death and told him that since his father did so much for the state, no candidate would be fielded against him as a tribute to him, and that he would be elected unopposed. But subsequently, Shiv Sena (UBT) announced a candidate in the constituency. During the meeting, Pawar emphasised that though they were in Mahayuti, the NCP is a follower of Shahu, Phule, and Ambedkar ideology. Both Zeeshan and Pawar pointed out that as many as 40,000 women in the Bandra East constituency benefitted from the Ladki Bahin Yojana.