Lawrence Bishnoi receives offer to contest Maharashtra elections: 'We see Bhagat Singh in you'

Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi being produced at Patiala House court, in New Delhi on April 18, 2023. (PTI Photo/File)

Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has received an invitation from a little-known registered political party, the Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Sena (UBVS) to contest the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections.

In a letter addressed to Bishnoi, that has emerged online, UBVS national president Sunil Shukla said that the names of 4 candidates of North Indian Development Army have been finalised to contest elections in Mumbai and that a list of 50 candidates will be announced soon, if Lawrence Bishnoi accepts his proposal.

"We see Shaheed Bhagat Singh in you," Shukla wrote in his letter to Bishnoi, seeking to draw parallels between the notorious gangster and the revered freedom fighter.

"We are proud that you are a North Indian born in Punjab and we are a national and Maharashtra state registered political party in the name of North Indian Development Army, which is working for the rights of North Indians in India," Shukla wrote in his letter to Bishnoi.

In his letter, Shukla further elaborated upon the missions and objectives of his party. The UBVS, he claimed, advocates the rights of North Indian communities residing in Maharashtra, specifically fighting for the issues pertaining to migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.

These communities, Shukla claims, have been deprived of quota benefits in the state on account of their origins. "North Indians coming from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, and 5 other north Indian states, who were born and brought up in Maharashtra, who were OBCs, SCs and STs, have been deprived of reservation only because their ancestors were North Indians. If India is a unit, then, why are we deprived of this right?"

Lawrence Bishnoi, currently lodged in a Gujarat prison, shot to prominence over his alleged involvement in the murder of singer-turned-politician Sidhu Moosewala in May, 2022. He had been on the radar of India's security agencies over his affiliation with Goldy Brar and pro-Khalistan groups.

Bishnoi first gained attention in 2018 when his associate, Sampath Nehra, surveyed Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s residence. Nehra admitted that he was instructed to kill Khan because of the actor’s role in the Black Buck poaching case. During a court appearance in Jodhpur, Bishnoi made headlines by issuing a direct threat, saying, "Salman Khan will be killed here in Jodhpur."

On April 14, 2023, gunshots were fired outside Salman Khan’s Bandra residence by two men on a motorcycle. Mumbai Police linked the attack to Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang, which allegedly hired the shooters.

Most recently, he has been accused of involvement in the murder of influential politician and NCP(AP) leader Baba Siddique.