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Maharashtra Political News: Maharashtra Congress working president Naseem Khan has written a letter to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge apprising him of his decision to pull out of the election campaign in the state. In his letter, the senior Congress leader from Maharashtra has expressed disappointment over the party and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Bloc's decision not to field any Muslim candidate in the Lok Sabha Election 2024. The Congress is contesting 17 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in alliance with the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).

Khan, a former state minister, has also resigned from the Maharashtra Congress campaign committee and told Kharge that he will not campaign for party candidates for the remaining phases of the Lok Sabha polls. Khan said the 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).

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Khan in his letter said that many Muslim organisations and state party workers "were expecting Congress to nominate at least one Muslim candidate, but unfortunately this has not happened". 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 that it seems Congress has deviated from its long-held ideology of inclusivity, adding that he is receiving hundreds of calls from organisations representing minorities, 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," Khan said, as quoted by PTI.

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The Maharashtra Congress working president was in a 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.

 

(With PTI Inputs)