India, Dec. 29 -- The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which has decided to go solo in the BMC elections, has finalised around 100 seats from which it will field its candidates, and released its first list of 37 candidates on Sunday. The party has also resolved that its senior leader Nawab Malik will continue to lead its poll campaign despite strong opposition by ally BJP.

"We have decided to contest the BMC election on our own following an approval from the party leadership," confirmed Sana Malik, NCP MLA from the Anushakti Nagar assembly constituency. "We are likely to contest around 100 seats."

The first list of candidates includes three members of the Malik family-Nawab Malik's brother Kaptan Malik, his sister Saeeda Arif Khan and Kaptan's daugh...