Upset over Cong not fielding any Muslim in Maha, Naseem writes to Kharge

Maharashtra Congress working president Naseem Khan on Friday expressed disappointment over the party or the opposition bloc MVA not fielding any Muslim candidate for the Lok Sabha polls in the state and told AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge he was pulling out of campaigning.

In a letter to Kharge, Khan said he will not campaign for party candidates for remaining phases of the Lok Sabha polls and is also resigning from the state Congress campaign committee.

The former state minister said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), of which the Congress is a key constituent, has not nominated a single Muslim candidate in Maharashtra, which has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh (80). Many Muslim organisations, leaders and also party workers from all over Maharashtra were expecting the Congress to nominate at least one candidate from the minority community, but unfortunately this has not happened, he noted.

Now, they are asking "Congress ko Muslim vote chahiye, candidate kyun nahi (why Congress wants Muslim votes, but does not want to field any Muslim candidate)?" said the 60-year-old politician. "I am also upset with this unfair decision of the Congress party. Before this, whenever the party gave me election responsibility in Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka, Telangana, West Bengal, Maharashtra and other states I executed it gracefully and with my full efforts," said Khan in the letter. "I have no answers to Muslims and their organisations in Maharashtra raising such issues (not fielding candidate from the community). Therefore, I have decided not to campaign for the party during the Lok Sabha elections 2024," he said.

Khan said he is also resigning from the Maharashtra Congress Campaign Committee. The Congress is contesting 17 out the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in alliance with the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar). They are constituents of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

Speaking separately to PTI, Khan said the Congress it seems has deviated from its long held ideology of inclusivity. The former cabinet minister said he was inundated with calls from organisations representing minorities and party workers from these social groups, asking why the Congress has ignored them while allotting tickets for elections in Maharashtra. "I am unable to face questions of why injustice has been done (to minority groups).

The party has deviated from its inclusive ideology and giving representation to all communities," said a miffed Khan. The Maharashtra Congress working president was in race for a ticket from Mumbai North Central, but the party chose city unit president Varsha Gaikwad for the constituency. Khan had lost the 2019 assembly elections from Chandivali in Mumbai by 409 votes.