The Maharashtra unit of the Congress has moved forward with a proposal to expel Sanjay Nirupam, a former Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MP, due to his recent criticisms against the Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, over seat-sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state. The decision was taken during a state Congress core committee meeting in Mumbai, where resolutions were passed to expel Nirupam from the party and remove his name from the list of star campaigners.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole confirmed the decision, stating that disciplinary action would be taken against Nirupam for his anti-party stances, with further details to be announced soon. In response, Nirupam expressed his readiness to make a decision on the matter himself, indicating that he would address the issue the following day.
Sources suggest that Nirupam is likely to resign from the Congress on Thursday, amid his vocal criticism of the Shiv Sena's candidate selections for Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. Nirupam had expressed a desire to contest from Mumbai North West, but the Shiv Sena nominated Amol Kirtikar for the seat, currently held by Shiv Sena's Gajanan Kirtikar, who defeated Nirupam in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Nirupam's criticism of the Congress for not asserting itself in seat negotiations with the Shiv Sena has intensified, with him accusing those who agreed to the seat-sharing formula of undermining the Congress in Mumbai. He emphasized his willingness to engage in a "friendly fight" in his desired constituency while warning against the Congress being coerced by the Shiv Sena, which he argued is incapable of winning seats without Congress support.
Alleging that the Shiv Sena's actions were aimed at weakening the Congress in Mumbai, Nirupam urged the party not to succumb to pressure and asserted that the Shiv Sena would struggle to win any seats in the city without Congress backing. He criticized the seat-sharing arrangement, claiming it was detrimental to the Congress's interests, and accused the Shiv Sena of employing coercive tactics.
