Reacting to the speculation that he might be expelled from the party, Congress leader and former MP Sanjay Nirupam took a jibe at the grand old party on Wednesday, saying that it need not waste its energy and stationery on him, instead “use remaining energy to save the party.” He further indicated that he would announce his next move on Thursday, following the completion of the one-week deadline he had set.
"Congress Party should not waste much energy and stationery for me. Instead, use your remaining energy and stationery to save the party. Anyway, the party is going through a severe financial crisis. The period of one week that I had given has been completed today. Tomorrow I will take the decision myself," said Nirupam in a post on X.
The backdrop to this development lies in Nirupam's recent criticism of the Shiv Sena (UBT), a key ally of the Congress in Maharashtra, over seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress unit in Maharashtra is reportedly formulating a plan to oust Nirupam, with intentions to forward the proposal to the party's leadership in Delhi. Reports suggest the final decision on his fate will be decided by the party's disciplinary committee.
The state unit of the Congress has also endorsed Nirupam's removal from the list of star campaigners in Maharashtra, following a meeting held earlier today.
Sanjay Nirupam's discontent
The Mumbai North-West constituency finds itself at the centre of a political storm as Nirupam, who lost the seat to Shiv Sena's Gajanan Kirtikar, expressed his desire to contest it again. However, tensions escalated when the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena announced Amol Kirtikar, the son of Gajanan Kirtikar, as its candidate. Gajanan Kirtikar, who initially won the seat, aligned himself with Eknath Shinde after the Shiv Sena split. Meanwhile, the BJP reportedly sought to nominate its candidate for the seat, as part of its agreement with the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena.
Will Nirupam join BJP?
Amidst this turmoil, speculation looms over Nirupam's future political affiliation. Dropping hints about his potential next steps, Nirupam recently suggested that he is awaiting a final decision from the Congress high command. While the Congress leader weighs his options, the BJP has shown a keen interest in his potential defection.
Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the president of the Maharashtra BJP, expressed openness towards leaders like Nirupam joining their ranks, provided their ideologies align. He highlighted Nirupam's political tenure and his contributions to the Congress, indicating that discussions with Nirupam have not commenced yet, but if his beliefs resonate with those of the BJP, he would be welcomed into the party fold.
