Lawyer Ujjwal Nikam
Credit: X/ @ANI
Mumbai: In a surprise move, the BJP on Saturday nominated eminent lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, who had appeared as prosecutor in several cases like 1993 Bombay serial blasts case and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks - to contest from Mumbai North-Central Lok Sabha seat for Lok Sabha elections.
Nikam would take on Proffesor Varsha Gaikwad, the President of Mumbai Regional Congress Committee and sitting Dharavi MLA and former minister.
The seat for BJP was earlier represented by Poonam Mahajan, the daughter of late BJP stalwart and former union minister Pramod Mahajan and niece of late BJP leader Gopinath Munde.
Nikam hails from Jalgaon in North Maharashtra.
Nikam is an experienced prosecutor – and has been the special public prosecutor in several cases like the 1993 serial blasts case, Khairlanji massacare, twin blasts of August 2003 at Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar, the Kopardi rape-murder of a minor girl.
He has secured death penalties for more than 30 persons.
The two of them whose death penalties were confirmed by Supreme Court and hanged to death are Yakub Memon, the prime accused in the 12 March, 1993 serial blasts case in Mumbai and Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the Pakistani fidayeen, who was part of the 10-member group that carried out a raid in the financial capital of Mumbai from 26-29 November, 2008. He also examined Pakistani-American David Coleman Headley via video-conferencing.