NCP Plans to Appoint MLC Zeeshan Siddique as New Mumbai Unit Chief
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is planning to appoint MLC Zeeshan Siddique, former MLA from Vandre East, as the new president of its Mumbai unit. If finalised, the decision will make the 33-year-old the youngest leader to head the party's Mumbai organisation.
Siddique is considered close to Parth Pawar, NCP Rajya Sabha MP and son of party president Sunetra Pawar. Party insiders view the proposed appointment as an indication of the mother-son leadership taking direct control of the party organisation by placing trusted leaders in key strategic positions across Maharashtra.
Along with Siddique's proposed appointment, the leadership has backed several other key appointments across state wings. These include Vaishali Nagawade as the NCP Maharashtra women's wing president, Nikhil Thakare as state youth wing president, and Nirmala Nawale as the state president of the party's young women's wing, the Yuvati Congress.
The appointment would mark Siddique's second major political milestone within three months. After losing the November 2024 assembly elections from the Vandre East constituency, he was elected as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) in May 2026.
NCP leaders believe Siddique's leadership will help the party build stronger ties with young voters and revive its grassroots network across Mumbai, where the party has struggled to expand its presence for nearly three decades.
The Mumbai unit is currently led by two working presidents, Siddharth Kamble and Shivajirao Nalawade. Both leaders are expected to be replaced as part of the broader organisational restructuring.
Siddique was previously elected as the youngest MLA from Mumbai in the 2019 assembly elections. He also served as the president of the Mumbai Youth Congress before stepping down after his late father, former minister Baba Siddique, joined the NCP in 2024. Zeeshan Siddique later joined the NCP ahead of the 2024 state elections.
Addressing the developments, Siddique stated that he was unaware of his name being actively considered for the Mumbai post, adding that he is ready to take up any responsibility the party deems fit for him.
