With minuscule presence in Mumbai, NCP has appointed Zeeshan Siddique as its new chief in the city. (File Photo)The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday announced the appointment of MLC Zeeshan Siddique as the party’s Mumbai President and tasked him with expanding the party’s footprint in the city. Solapur district president Umesh Patil has also been appointed the national chief spokesperson.The party has only one elected legislator in Mumbai- Sana Malik – and has no presence in the civic body.Earlier, minister Chhagan Bhujbal’s nephew, Sameer, was responsible for NCP’s Mumbai unit – a responsibility he gave up to contest the Assembly election.The appointment is likely to ruffle feathers within the party organisation as Zeeshan is still seen as an outsider and close only to Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar.Zeeshan Siddique, 34, was one of the youngest MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly when he represented the Bandra (East) Assembly seat after winning it in the 2019 elections as a Congress candidate.Son of Congress heavyweight and former minister late Baba Siddique, Zeeshan was the president of Mumbai Youth Congress. During the MVA government, Zeeshan was unhappy about being denied funds despite being from an ally party.In February 2024, days after his father quit the party to join the ruling NCP led by Ajit Pawar, Zeeshan Siddique was removed as Mumbai Youth Congress chief.Story continues below this adIn October 2024, Baba Siddique was shot dead outside his office. Since his murder, there were speculations about the political future of Zeeshan, after which he joined the NCP. In the 2024 Assembly polls, he contested unsuccessfully from the NCP against Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Varun Sardesai.In April 2026, the NCP decided to field him as the party’s lone candidate for the legislative council elections.Despite being from the ruling side, Zeeshan has been consistently raising his voice against the ‘unsatisfactory probe’ into the investigation of the murder of his father.He had also recently targeted the state government after the attack on actor Tiger Shroff.Story continues below this ad“It has been two years since my father’s death, and the way law and order conditions are deteriorating in Mumbai is very unfortunate. What happened with Tiger is completely wrong. I have been demanding security for myself, but it has not been increased by even one per cent,” he had said.Handing appointment letters, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar expressed confidence that Patil and Siddique would work with dedication and commitment to strengthen the party organisation.Alok Deshpande is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express' Mumbai bureau, recognized for his... Read More Tags:Baba SiddiqueMaharashtra