Nagpur, Jan 17 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said noted lawyer Ujjwal Nikam has expressed fear that there could be a political row if he were to be appointed as a special prosecutor in the Beed sarpanch murder case.

The government has requested Nikam, who has represented the state in high-profile cases such as the 1993 Mumbai blasts, to appear as a prosecutor in the murder case of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, Fadnavis told reporters here. "During a conversation with advocate Nikam, he expressed apprehension that politics will be done over his appointment, and he feels it would not be right," he said.

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"I think doing politics over his appointment is like protecting the guilty, as Nikam has a track record of getting the culprits convicted in any case he takes up," the chief minister added.

"I think Nikam will take the case," he said.

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Nikam, notably, had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai North Central constituency on the BJP ticket but lost to Varsha Gaikwad of the Congress.

Meanwhile, asked about the Delhi assembly polls, Fadnavis said people had lost faith in Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party, and want a BJP government. "The BJP will form government in Delhi," he said.

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