BREAKING SAD NEWS: Politician shot dead

In February he defected from Congress, India’s main opposition party and joined the unrelated regional Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is part of the governing coalition of the BJP.

Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, from the same party as Siddique, said he was shocked by the “cowardly attack”.

Siddique was known for lavish parties and for close ties to Bollywood superstars.

The shooting happened with high security in place due to a major Hindu festival in the city.

Opposition parties have criticised the government, saying there was a major lapse in security. The state government has promised a thorough inquiry.

Though two suspects have been taken into custody, the motive is not clear. Police are searching for a third suspect.

Some Indian media report the suspects have said they were from a gang run by notorious criminal Lawrence Bishnoi.

Bishnoi is currently in jail in connection with several high-profile cases. He has also been linked to the murder of Indian rapper Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022

The shooting came weeks after Siddique’s security detail was upgraded following death threats.