In a major political rift ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Zeeshan Siddique, son of former Congress leader Baba Siddique, has criticized the Congress for its handling of seat allocations in Mumbai. Zeeshan’s discontent stems from being denied a Congress ticket for the upcoming elections, particularly in the Bandra East constituency. The Congress, after internal deliberations, decided to allocate the seat to its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ally, Shiv Sena (UBT).
Zeeshan Siddique, who previously held the Bandra East seat, was expelled from Congress earlier in 2024 for alleged cross-voting during the Legislative Council polls. His father, Baba Siddique, had also left Congress to join Ajit Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The younger Siddique is now left contemplating his political future. There are speculations that he may contest as an independent candidate if he doesn’t secure a ticket from the Mahayuti alliance.
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Commenting on the situation, Siddique expressed disappointment with the Congress for sidelining him, despite his contributions to the party and his clean political record. According to insiders, Siddique is concerned about the party’s internal politics and believes that his contributions have been overlooked in favor of alliance dynamics.
As the Congress prioritizes seat-sharing negotiations with MVA partners, the situation in Bandra East remains tense. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is likely to field Varun Sardesai for the seat, while Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is expected to run Akhil Chitre.
This internal dispute highlights the larger struggles within the Congress party, which is also dealing with factionalism and discontent from sidelined members ahead of the November 2024 elections.
(Inputs – Sumit Singh, A freelancer reporter at C6N)
