No seat for Poonam Mahajan; Mumbai terror attack case prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam named candidate by BJP

MUMBAI: The BJP has denied a Lok Sabha seat to Poonam Mahajan, sitting MP and daughter of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan. Poonam, who was the president of the party's youth wing, has been Mumbai North Central MP since 2014. Instead, former Special Public Prosecutor Adv Ujjwal Nikam has been named as the BJP candidate for the Mumbai North Central seat. Ujjwal Nikam is a high-profile lawyer who has handled several major cases, including that of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks as a Special Public Prosecutor.

Ujjwal Nikam was the lawyer in the Pramod Mahajan murder case as well. In 2016, the nation honoured him with the Padma Shri. According to reports, the BJP had plans to field him in Jalgaon in the previous Lok Sabha election.

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the senior BJP leadership, Nikam admitted that even though he has no political background, he is confident of starting the new innings on a winning note.

Reports claimed that the BJP had also considered the names of Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar and actress Madhuri Dixit for the Mumbai North Central constituency.