Amid the Lok Sabha elections 2024, Ibrahim Moosa, one of the convicts in the 1993 Bombay bombings, was seen campaigning for Amol Kirtikar, the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) candidate for Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency, on Wednesday (8th May). A video showing Moosa campaigning for Kiritikar went viral over the internet on Thursday (9th May).
Moosa had been convicted by the court in the year 2013 for supplying arms to actor Sanjay Dutt and was awarded 10 years of imprisonment under the sections of TADA. He has been released from jail after serving his jail term. However, soon after getting out, he stepped into politics and joined the election campaign of Amol Kirtikar, a member of the Uddhav Thackeray section of Shiv Sena.
Ameet Satam, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA took cognizance of the video and lashed out at Amol Kritikar and the Congress when Moosa was spotted at the latter’s poll campaign in Andheri West on Wednesday evening.
“Yesterday evening in Andheri West, 1993 bomb blasts case accused Baba Moosa was seen campaigning and supporting Mumbai North West MVA candidate Amol Kirtikar on the field. It is now extremely clear that the fight is not just between nationalist forces and tukde tukde gang but a battle between India and Pakistan. Mumbai ke hathyaro ke saath Congress ka haath. Everyone should recognize the torch that wants to burn Mumbaikars,” he said.
Moosa, also known as Baba Chauhan, was convicted in the 1993 Bombay bomb case. He has been accused of transporting firearms to actor Sanjay Dutt’s home before the serial bombings. According to the prosecution, Moosa, mobster Abu Salem, and others visited Dutt’s house on January 15, 1993, to inform him that the weapons would be delivered the following day.
The weaponry was later removed, except for one AK-47 rifle found in Dutt’s hands, which led to the actor’s conviction. The serial bombs that happened in 1993 killed 257 people and injured over 700.
NDA has fielded Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) MLA Ravindra Waikar for the Mumbai North West seat against Amol Kirtikar. This has resulted in a direct election contest between Shinde Sena’s Waikar and Uddhav Sena’s Kirtikar. The Mumbai North West constituency covers Jogeshwari East, Dindoshi, Goregaon, Versova, Andheri East, and Andheri West areas.
Waikar, a senior aide to Shive Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, switched sides in March and joined leader Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. He has served as a four-time chairman of the BMC’s Standing Committee and a three-time MLA of the undivided Shiv Sena from Jogeshwari.
Elections in the Mumbai North West constituency are set for May 20. The votes will be counted on June 4, and the results will be announced that same day.