Ask him who he owes his victory to, and pat comes the reply, “My party and my work.”

His father Ramzan Ali Sheikh was a Congressman, but Sheikh has not always been with the Congress — he started off with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and was once considered a close aide of party state leader Abu Asim Azmi. He has been corporator twice, once from the SP and later in 2007 from the Congress. In his second term, he rose to become the chairman of the local ward committee.

On why he left the Samajwadi Party, he is candid. “Because it was working for a particular section and community. It has no agenda for Maharashtra. And neither Abu Azmi or the party had any influence on people. They won at least two seats in the last elections because of me. In my case, the MNS factor did not work in my constituency. I am secular. I came forward as a local leader, who really worked for his people. And that’s why I got a lot of votes from Hindus, especially Sikhs. That has touched my heart.”

He wants the war of words between Raj Thackeray and Azmi should end. “This fight should come to an end. They are just making fools of people.”

Among his achievements as a corporator, he counts the infrastructure projects, including the widening of the Mith Chowki junction, widening of the Malad section of Link Road and the road near the Malad station.

However, controversies have always followed Sheikh, be it the allegation of a petrol bomb being found in his car a few years ago or a more recent corruption case following which he was absconding for over a month. “The corruption case was false. In 2007, somebody kept a petrol bomb in my car besides throwing one on my car. In politics, controversies chase those who work hard. Give me an example of any politician who has worked hard but has not been caught in any controversy.”

He is all praise for North Mumbai MP Sanjay Nirupam who campaigned hard for him. “Because of his work, a lot of people gave me their votes,” says Sheikh, adding that he is working with Nirupam on a proposal for a girls’ college in the Malvani area.

A former model, Sheikh is fond of working out and staying fit. Does he still hope to turn to modelling or films? “I was fond of modelling then, but now my only love is politics, my inheritance from my father.”

‘Graduates’ to Assembly forgo BMC salary
Four Congress corporators who have won the Assembly elections have decided not to take their salary from the BMC.

“Since we will get the MLA’s salary, there is no need to take the same from two governing bodies. We have, therefore, decided not to take salary from the BMC,” Rajhans Singh said.