Senior BJP leader Ashish Shelar stated that the party would not enter an electoral partnership with the NCP as long as Malik remains its Mumbai in-charge. He argued that the upcoming civic poll, which the BJP considers highly strategic, cannot risk a perceived alignment with an individual under serious investigation, as that would send the wrong message to voters. The BJP’s decision follows detailed internal deliberations on the risks and benefits of forming an alliance in the city. According to party sources, staying independent enhances the BJP’s flexibility ahead of January’s poll.
Malik, a senior NCP figure and former minister, was formally charged under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in a Mumbai special court for allegedly conspiring with associates of organised-crime network D-Company to appropriate a property in Kurla and launder proceeds. The Enforcement Directorate has estimated the proceeds at approximately ₹16 crore and has claimed that the property transfers were facilitated with forged power of attorney documents. Malik pleaded not guilty and the trial has been set to proceed in December. The NCP has defended Malik as a legitimate, experienced leader and rejected any change in its Mumbai unit despite the BJP’s stance.
The split marks a significant tension point within the governing “Mahayuti” alliance, which brings together the BJP, the Shiv Sena, and the NCP under the leadership of Ajit Pawar. While the alliance has publicly stated its intent to contest the BMC elections together with the goal of winning two-thirds of the seats and securing majority vote share, this rupture signals emerging fault lines in the coalition’s operational harmony. Party insiders suggest that the BJP’s move also reflects an attempt to reclaim autonomous identity in Mumbai’s local politics rather than operate under a coalition banner heading into a high-stakes civic election.
Political analysts interpret this disengagement as the BJP’s pre-emptive strategy to avoid internal vote fragmentation and to strengthen its standing in the city without the complications of coalition constraints. The BJP’s Mumbai leadership reportedly believes that a solo contest, despite the challenges of fielding candidates across 227 wards of the BMC, presents a clearer route to securing a firm mandate. At the same time, the NCP’s refusal to change its leadership in Mumbai raises questions about its electoral calculus and whether it anticipates fighting independently or in alliance with other parties outside the Mahayuti spectrum.
For the NCP, the development puts pressure on its electoral machinery in Mumbai, where the Malik unit commands organisational presence. Loss of the coalition umbrella may dilute access to shared campaign resources and reduce geographic coverage. However, the NCP appears undeterred, with its leadership expressing confidence in its core vote and organisational reserves. The BJP, for its part, is signalling its readiness to field independent candidates and believes that standing alone will allow sharper message discipline and clearer voter differentiation.