Maharashtra Election 2024: Zeeshan Siddique remembers father Baba Siddique on emotional polling day

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate from Bandra East, Zeeshan Siddique, cast his vote in the Maharashtra Assembly elections on Wednesday (November 20), marking an emotional moment as it was his first time voting without his father, Baba Siddique. The former minister was tragically gunned down on October 12 near Zeeshan's office in an attack allegedly carried out by individuals linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Speaking to reporters, Zeeshan said, "This is the first time I’ve come to vote alone. My father is no longer with me. It feels different, but life must go on. I know he is with me in spirit." He also shared that he began his day with a visit to the graveyard, paying respects to his late father, and urged everyone to exercise their voting rights.

The 32-year-old candidate, who switched to Ajit Pawar's faction of the NCP in October, is locked in a closely watched contest against Varun Sardesai, the nephew of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. Zeeshan is defending the Bandra East seat, which he won in the 2019 elections as a Congress candidate.

Polling for Maharashtra's single-phase assembly elections began at 7 am across all 288 constituencies and will conclude at 6 pm. Over 9.7 crore registered voters are set to decide the fate of 4,136 candidates, reflecting a significant increase from 2019's 3,239 contestants.

The elections have set the stage for a fierce battle between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The Mahayuti comprises the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), while the MVA includes the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction).