The BJP announced its candidate for the Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat on Saturday, fielding the renowned lawyer Ujjwal Nikam as the contender and replacing the incumbent MP Poonam Mahajan, while the Congress has nominated Mumbai chief Varsha Gaikwad. Let's learn more about Ujjwal Nikam, the legal eagle on whom BJP is staking its hopes.
Ujjwal Nikam's journey began in a Marathi family in Jalgaon, where his father was a judge. He earned his law degree from S.S. Maniyar Law College, Jalgaon, and initially started his career as a district prosecutor in Jalgaon before gaining recognition on state and national legal stages.
In 1991, Nikam played a pivotal role in convicting Ravinder Singh for the Kalyan bombings. A significant turning point in his career was in 1993 when he became the government's lawyer in the Mumbai serial blast case. He worked for over 14 years in the special court established under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act. During the trials of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Nikam represented the state government's arguments. The accused Ajmal Kasab famously requested mutton biryani in jail, which Nikam later revealed was a strategic lie.
Nikam has been instrumental in several other high-profile cases, including the 1993 Bombay bombings, the Gulshan Kumar murder case, the Pramod Mahajan murder case, and the 2008 Mumbai attacks. He served as the government's lawyer in the 2013 Mumbai gang rape case as well as in the Kopardi rape and murder case in 2016.
For his 30-year long illustrious career, Ujjwal Nikam has managed to secure life imprisonment for 628 prisoners and capital punishment for 37 convicts. He was granted Z+ security during the 26/11 case trials in 2009 and was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2016 for his contributions to the field of law.
Following his BJP candidacy, Nikam appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance against terrorism and his efforts to ensure national security. He expressed his belief that it's time to do more for the country. Distanced from politics, he noticed a transformative change in India post-2014 and attributed this to PM Modi and the BJP's vision. Inspired by these changes and the dedication shown to the Indian people, Nikam felt it was the right time to contribute further to the country. He assured that if any mistakes are pointed out to him in politics, he will strive to correct them.
