Who Is Ujjwal Nikam, BJP Lok Sabha Candidate Behind 'Biryani' Story In Ajmal Kasab Case?

Ujjwal Nikam, the lawyer who served as the public prosecutor during the Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks, has been selected by the BJP as its candidate for the Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha constituency.

This decision resulted in him replacing Poonam Mahajan, the current Member of Parliament from this seat.

Photo Credit: PTI

BJP Picks Ujjwal Nikam For This Mumbai Constituency

Nikam, who also handled the prosecution in the murder case of Pramod Mahajan (the father of Poonam Mahajan), has been nominated for this constituency where Poonam Mahajan had previously won elections in 2014 and 2019. Poonam Mahajan is a former president of the BJP's youth wing, as reported by NDTV citing ANI reports.

According to reports from the news agency PTI, party leaders have indicated that the decision to replace Poonam Mahajan was made based on feedback from within the organization. Although signs pointing towards Poonam Mahajan's replacement had been present for some time, sources informed PTI that the process of identifying her replacement took a considerable amount of time.

In response, the Congress has put forward Varsha Gaikwad, the city unit chief and Dharavi MLA, as its candidate for the Mumbai North Central constituency.

The voting for Mumbai is slated to take place on May 20 during the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Additionally, the BJP has announced the names of eight additional candidates for the Odisha assembly polls, which will occur concurrently with the general elections.

Here's more about Ujjwal Nikkam

Ujjwal Nikam, born in Maharashtra's Jalgaon, is a prominent special public prosecutor known for his work on significant cases. Starting as a district prosecutor in Jalgaon, Nikam advanced to handling state and national trials throughout his career.

Nikam has been involved in several high-profile cases, including the 1993 Bombay bombings, the Gulshan Kumar murder case, the Pramod Mahajan murder case, and the 2008 Mumbai attacks. He also served as the public prosecutor in the 2013 Mumbai gang rape case and the 2016 Kopardi rape and murder case.

Notably, Nikam gained attention during the 26/11 Mumbai attack trial when he claimed that Ajmal Kasab, one of the accused terrorists, had demanded 'mutton biryani' in jail. Later, at a global counter-terrorism conference in Jaipur in 2015, Nikam admitted that he fabricated this story to counteract the sympathetic sentiment developing around the terrorist.

Ujjwal Nikam received the Padma Shri award from the Government of India in 2016 for his contributions to the field of law and justice. Throughout his career spanning over 30 years, Nikam has secured 628 life imprisonments and 37 death penalties in various cases. Aniket Nikam, his son, also practices as a criminal lawyer in the Mumbai High Court.