In Maharashtra’s contentious political climate, Fahad Ahmad, a youth leader of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and husband of actress Swara Bhasker, has secured a ticket for himself for the upcoming elections. His nomination as the INDIA ally Nationalist Congress Party (Samajwadi Party) candidate for Anushakti Nagar follows a rivalry between two prominent figures in the Maharashtra Muslim community: Abu Asim Azmi, the SP’s state chief, and Nawab Malik of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Sources indicate that Malik’s decision to contest from Azmi’s territory prompted Azmi to expedite Ahmad’s candidacy. Ahmad, 32, who hails from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh and is a graduate of Aligarh Muslim University and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), has primarily engaged in student politics until now. His nomination comes at a time when Malik’s daughter, Sana, is also entering the political fray, reports The Indian Express.
Sana’s candidacy followed pressure from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which insisted that the NCP not field Malik due to his legal troubles and past accusations of links to organised crime. Malik was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in February 2022 for a money laundering case, spending 18 months in jail before being released after the NCP aligned with the BJP.
Initially expected to support his daughter’s candidacy, Malik has since declared his intention to run from the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency—a seat previously won by Azmi in 2019 and two other occasions. This move could significantly impact Azmi’s electoral prospects, as it risks splitting the Muslim vote between the two heavyweights.
In Anushakti Nagar, where 23% of the electorate is Muslim, Ahmad is poised to leverage the NCP (SP) base, potentially siphoning votes away from Sana.
The rivalry between Malik and Azmi dates back to their early careers with the SP. Malik won his first election in 1996 as an SP leader under Azmi’s leadership. However, tensions escalated after Azmi struggled to establish his own political identity, while Malik ascended to ministerial roles. In 2001, Azmi expelled Malik from the SP, leading Malik to join the NCP.
An SP leader told IE on condition of anonymity, “We have an understanding with the NCP to field Fahad Ahmad on their ticket. Our intent is clear: if Nawab Malik aims to disrupt our leader’s election, we will respond in kind.”
Ahmad gained prominence in 2018 when he led a significant student protest at TISS against the rollback of a fee waiver for students from marginalised communities, successfully mobilising over a thousand participants. He has also engaged in various protests against scholarship denials and has been an active voice in the Anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests across India. Ahmad joined the SP in July 2022 and became its youth wing president in Maharashtra.
Upon filing his nomination, Ahmad stressed upon the importance of unity: “The struggle against the Mahayuti transcends personalities, parties, and symbols. Our struggles may differ, but we are united in our ideology. Mulayam Singh and Sharad Pawar are both socialists. We are one family, sharing the same vision. In my previous party, I fought against divisive forces, and in this new party, I will continue that fight against those seeking to divide our nation.”