BMC Elections 2026: Youth Leader Resigns From Congress, Accuses Party Of Ignoring Shia Community’s Claim To Govandi Seat

Mumbai: The general secretary of the Mumbai Youth Congress, Arif Abbas Sayyed, announced his resignation from the primary membership of the party after ward 139, a Muslim-dominated seat in Govandi, was given to the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi led by Prakash Ambedkar as part of seat-sharing arrangements between the two parties.

Sayyed alleged that deliberate injustice was done to him by the party leadership in connection with the candidature for the ward. He said that the All India Congress Committee general secretary, Ramesh Chennithala, had publicly announced that the party would contest the municipal elections independently. Sayyed was hoping to field his wife, Nayaab Khan, from the constituency which is reserved for women from the open (non-reserved) category. "Based on this assurance, I began my preparations with full commitment and strength. However, just two days prior to the election process, the party unexpectedly entered into an alliance with the VBA and compromised Ward No. 139, a strong Muslim-dominated seat, in seat-sharing arrangements," said Sayyad.

Sayyad, a Shia Muslim, said that the community, a minority within a minority, had requested fair representation from the party. "Despite this, our genuine request was not considered, which clearly reflects an anti-minority mindset within the state leadership," Sayyad said in his resignation letter to Varsha Gaikwad, president, Mumbai Congress.

Sayyed alleged that the seat was deliberately conceded to accommodate the daughter of the party's Rajya Sabha MP Chandrakant Handore in Ward 140, a seat reserved for a member of a Scheduled Caste. Sayyad said that by giving 139, a seat reserved for women from the non-reserved category, to the VBA, the Congress has denied a seat to a Muslim women from the poorly-represented Shia community

He accused AICC secretary, Sachin Sawant, of ignoring ground realities. Calls and messages to Gaikwad and Handore went unanswered.

Sayyed said that he faced more than 20 political cases and spent 15 days in jail while standing firmly with the Congress Party. "The party appears to seek votes and financial support from minorities, but hesitates to provide them rightful representation. Today, however, I feel deeply heartbroken that the party has stepped back from supporting me and has purposefully compromised my seat. I firmly believe that such decisions are among the primary reasons for the continuous decline of the party," Sayyed added.

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