Immediately after announcing criminal lawyer Ujjwal Nikam’s nomination from Mumbai North Central, the BJP leadership made a narrative public. The narrative goes beyond the constituency limits. City BJP president Ashish Shelar, who didn’t want to contest Lok Sabha elections from here, said it was time the ‘nationalist Mumbai warrior’ was elected unopposed, because of special public prosecutor Nikam’s legal success against terror acts that struck the city multiple times. “I request all political parties to set aside political differences [to elect Nikam unopposed] to send a good message to the Mumbaikars,” said Shelar on ‘X’, notwithstanding the fact that the BJP named the lawyer 40 days after its other city candidates were announced. The nomination came two days after the Congress made Varsha Gaikwad, a four-time MLA and former minister, its candidate.

Shelar’s statements made BJP’s idea crystal clear. The party connected PM Modi’s anti-terror policies with Nikam’s achievements in the 1993 serial blasts, 26/11 terror attacks and other cases. “The BJP has honoured the lawyer who had ensured the hanging of Yakub Memon and Ajmal Kasab,” said Shelar. PM Modi’s anti-terror stance and Nikam’s achievements will be the talking point in the campaign of a candidate having no experience of electoral trials and tribulations.