Post-Gaikwad meeting: Khan firm on stand not to campaign for Muslim candidates

Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad met disgruntled colleague Naseem Khan, who resigned over the lack of Muslim candidates. Khan remains firm in his decision not to campaign due to the Congress' perceived neglect of Muslims in candidate selection. He criticizes the party in Maharashtra and other states for not fielding Muslim candidates, expressing disappointment in Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar for the same. The Congress is yet to name a candidate for Mumbai North, while its allies have declared candidates for other seats in Maharashtra.

Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad on Saturday met her disgruntled colleague Naseem Khan who a day earlier resigned from the party's poll campaign committee over lack of Muslim candidates.

Incidentally, Khan was eyeing the Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat but the Congress gave ticket to Gaikwad.

Khan, a working president of the Maharashtra Congress, had lost the 2019 Assembly polls by 409 votes from Chandivali, which is part of Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat.

The meeting between Gaikwad and Khan took place for 25 minutes.

Talking to PTI, Khan said he was firm on his decision about not campaigning for the party.

''Varsha Gaikwad is my younger sister and can visit me anytime. But I am firm on my stand. Not just in Maharashtra, but even in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat there are no (Congress) Muslim candidates,'' he claimed.

''Where will Muslims go? They (community) say the Congress wants our votes but then why no representation. Even Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar have not fielded Muslim candidates,'' Khan said.

The Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (SP) are Congress' allies in the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

The Congress is yet to name its candidate for Mumbai North seat, while Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) have declared names for 21 and 10 seats, respectively, in Maharashtra.