BJP picks Ujjwal Nikam for Mumbai North Central, drops two-term MP Poonam Mahajan

The BJP’s decision to replace Poonam Mahajan, the sitting MP from Mumbai North Central constituency since 2014, with Jalgaon-based special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam (71) puts a question mark on the political legacy of former Union minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and her father, the late Pramod Mahajan.

The Central Election Committee of the BJP on Saturday released the name of Nikam as the party’s candidate for Mumbai North Central constituency, which is located in the heart of the country’s financial capital. It was here at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) that the controversial bullet train project and International Financial Services Centre were planned — both incomplete.

Nikam has to his credit several high-profile trials, including that of 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab. “I’m grateful to the BJP leadership. I know it’s a huge responsibility. I will not let them down. I will work and serve the nation,” Nikam said.

The BJP’s unusually long search for a suitable candidate for Mumbai North Central left many within the party bemused. “The surveys were not very favourable for Poonam, the sitting MP. Anti-incumbency could have weighed on the leadership’s mind heavily while dropping her,” a party source said.

From what emerges, the party was in two minds. While one faction believed Mumbai-based Poonam would fit the criteria, those unsure pushed for change. “The Mumbai and Maharashtra BJP units had recommended the candidature of Poonam. But then the final call is taken after deliberations at the CEC,” Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar said.

The party’s decision to opt for an outsider, Ujjwal Nikam, came 48 hours after the Congress fielded its Mumbai chief Varsha Gaikwad as the MVA candidate from Mumbai North