Mumbai:

Confounding the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies, the Congress on Saturday invited applications from prospective candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, along with a steep application fee.

State Congress Vice President Nana Gawande has issued a circular to this effect to all the district party units and other officials with the relevant instructions.

The non-refundable application fee is Rs 20,000 for general category candidates, and Rs 10,000 for SC/ST and women candidates, and it is also open to others to submit their applications as per the prescribed rules.

All the applicants – new or party veterans – must submit their papers along with the fee to the district party offices or the regional office before August 10.

A similar drive has been launched in Haryana and Jharkhand. It was intended to throw up “good candidates” whom the party leadership can consider for giving tickets, said an official.

A senior Congress leader said the applications have been invited from all the 288 Assembly seats.

On whether the Congress initiative could clash with the claims of ticket aspirants from the MVA allies Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party (SP), and other alliance partners, the leader replied in the negative.

“This is a democratic attempt to bring up noteworthy candidates with extraordinary leadership qualities from among the lakhs of party activists spread all over Maharashtra, give them due prominence and, if possible, field them in the elections with full backing,” he explained, declining to be named.

Along with the party’s internal drive, Mr Gawande said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) would be launching a program to update/revise the voters’ lists from July 25.

Accordingly, the party has called upon all Congress workers to ensure that all the eligible persons in their areas are included, particularly new voters (aged above 18) in the revised voters’ list as per the instructions of state Congress president Nana Patole and All India Congress Committee General Secretary Ramesh Chennithala.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Sanjay Nirupam, who was expelled by the Congress yesterday, has claimed that the party had issued the letter of expulsion immediately after he sent across his resignation last night. In a post on X, the former MP has shared his resignation letter, dated April 3. “Looks like, immediately after the party received my resignation letter last night, they decided to issue my expulsion. Good to see the such promptness. Just sharing this info. I will give detail statement today between 11.30 to 12 PM,” he said in the post.

Looks like, immediately after the party received my resignation letter last night, they decided to issue my expulsion.
Good to see the such promptness.
Just sharing this info.
I will give detail statement today between 11.30 to 12 PM pic.twitter.com/3Wil8OaxuE

— Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) April 4, 2024

Mr Nirupam was expelled by the Congress yesterday for six years on grounds of indiscipline and anti-party statements.

The action followed the Mumbai leader’s scathing remarks against Congress’s INDIA ally, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) over seat-sharing in Maharashtra for the Lok Sabha election.

“Taking note of complaints of indiscipline and anti-party statements, Congress president (Mallikarjun Kharge) has approved the expulsion of Sanjay Nirupam from the party for six years with immediate effect,” an official communication from the party said.

The Maharashtra unit of the Congress had pushed for action against Mr Nirupam yesterday. He was also dropped from the party’s list of star campaigners for the upcoming polls.

Mr Nirupam wanted to contest the polls from the Mumbai North-West seat, where he lost to Shiv Sena’s Gajanan Kirtikar last time. But the Uddhav Thackeray-led party announced Amol Kirtikar – Gajanan Kirtikar’s son – as its candidate. Thereafter, Mr Nirupam had said the state Congress leadership must not get arm-twisted by Mr Thackeray’s party and he said the Sena faction cannot win any seat without Congress’s support. In a personal attack on Mr Thackeray, he said described him as the chief of “Bachi Khuchi Shiv Sena”.

He had also accused its candidate, Amol Kirtikar, of involvement in irregularities in a free food scheme during Covid, popularly known as Khichdi Scam.

Sitting MP Gajanan Kirtikar, who sided with the Eknath Shinde camp when the Shiv Sena split, has withdrawn from the contest after the Uddhav Thackeray faction propped up his son as its candidate.

The BJP, it is learnt, wants to field its candidate in Mumbai North-West as part of its seat-sharing understanding with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Mr Nirupam, who switched to the Shiv Sena to Congress in 2005, had earlier said that “all options are open” for him.

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule has said people like Mr Nirupam are “always welcome” if his thoughts align with the BJP. “Seeing the political tenure of Sanjay Nirupam, he has done a lot of work for connecting people with Congress. He is well-recognised in North India. Talks with Sanjay Nirupam have not happened yet, but if he is ready and his thoughts align with the BJP, then people like him are always welcome,” he said.

The Eknath Shinde-led Sena has also sent out feelers. “If he wants to join us, we welcome him. However, the final decision in this regard lies with Eknath Shinde,” MLA Sanjay Shirsat has said.

Mumbai:

The Maharashtra unit of the Congress is prepping a proposal to expel party leader Sanjay Nirupam for his recent remarks against INDIA ally, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), over seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha election. The proposal would be sent across to the Congress high command in Delhi and the party’s disciplinary committee will take the final call.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the state Congress committee, which has also decided to push for the removal of Mr Nirupam from the party’s list of star campaigners in the run-up to the polls. Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said, “We have taken him off as a star campaigner and have also initiated disciplinary action against him over the statements he made.”

A former MP of both the House of Parliament, Mr Nirupam has been hitting out at the Uddhav Thackeray-led party ever since it named its candidates for the Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.

Why Is Sanjay Nirupam Upset

The bone of contention is the Mumbai North-West seat – Mr Nirupam wants to contest the seat, but the Uddhav Thackeray-led party has announced Amol Kirtikar as its candidate. The seat is currently held by Shiv Sena’s Gajanan Kirtikar, who defeated Mr Nirupam in the 2019 election. Gajanan Kirtikar sided with Eknath Shinde after the Shiv Sena split. In a sharp move, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party fielded his son Amol from the seat. Gajanan Kirtikar has now said that he would not contest against his son. The BJP, it is learnt, wants to field its candidate there as part of its seat-sharing understanding with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Verbal Attacks On Ally

Mr Nirupam has said the Congress leadership should not allow itself to be arm-twisted by Uddhav Thackeray’s party. Soon after the Sena list was out, he told news agency PTI, “The Congress should not come under the threat of Shiv Sena (UBT) as the Uddhav Thackeray-led party is not capable of winning any seat without Congress support. Shiv Sena (UBT) arm-twisted the Congress to take five of the six seats in Mumbai. But the Congress should not allow itself to be arm-twisted like this. This action is against the Congress and it’s a ploy to finish off the party in the city,” he said.

Mr Nirupam also alleged that Sena’s candidate Amol Kirtikar took bribes during a free food initiative for migrant labourers during Covid, also known as Khichdi Scam.

In a personal attack on Uddhav Thackeray, he said he was the “bachi khuchi Shiv Sena pramukh”, taking a swipe at the split in his party after the Eknath Shinde-led mutiny.

Is Sanjay Nirupam Switching Parties

Mr Nirupam has dropped broad hints over his next step. Last week, the former Mumbai Congress chief said he is waiting for the high command to take a decision over the issues he has raised and added that “all options are open for me”.

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule has said that people like Mr Nirupam are “always welcome” in the party if he is ready and his thoughts align with the BJP. “Seeing the political tenure of Sanjay Nirupam, he has done a lot of work for connecting people with Congress. He is well-recognised in North India. Talks with Sanjay Nirupam have not happened yet, but if he is ready and his thoughts align with the BJP, then people like him are always welcome,” he said.

The BJP is not alone. The Eknath Shinde-led Sena has also sent out feelers. Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat has said Mr Nirupam will definitely be welcomed if he decides to leave Congress in the near future.

“Sanjay Nirupam is very angry with Congress. If he wants to join us, we welcome him. However, the final decision in this regard lies with Eknath Shinde,” Mr Shirsat told ANI.