After the Lok Sabha elections, disputes within the Mumbai Congress have erupted again in the lead-up to the Assembly elections. On the first day of Diwali, Ravi Raja, a prominent face of the Congress in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, resigned from the party. He joined the BJP in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Following his party switch, Ravi Raja criticized Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad. Additionally, Congress leader Amit Shetty has also made serious allegations against Varsha Gaikwad and her husband.
Ravi Raja was interested in contesting from the Sion Koliwada constituency but was not given a ticket. This led him to join the BJP. Ravi Raja accused Varsha Gaikwad of repeatedly sidelining him. Following him, Congress leader Amit Shetty has also criticized Varsha Gaikwad's working style. Like Ravi Raja, Amit Shetty was also interested in contesting from the Sion Koliwada constituency, but both were denied candidacy in favor of Ganesh Kumar Yadav.
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“Ravi Raja has left the Congress and joined the BJP. I hold Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad and her husband responsible for this. They have sold the Congress. The Congress has not received any seats in Mumbai. Varsha Gaikwad and her husband have committed the sin of selling the Congress. I request senior leaders of the Congress to immediately remove Varsha Gaikwad and save the party,” Amit Shetty stated.
Previously, Shetty had criticized the candidacy of Varsha Gaikwad's sister, Jyoti Gaikwad. “Both of them are working to sell the Congress party. There is a need to save the Congress party from Varsha Gaikwad and her husband. Candidates have been given tickets based on special relationships with Varsha Gaikwad, sidelining senior party members. Those who have done nothing for the party in the Sion Koliwada Assembly constituency over the past four and a half years have been given tickets, while Jyoti Gaikwad, who is not even a party member in Dharavi, has received a ticket solely because she is Varsha Gaikwad's sister. This candidacy will cause significant damage to the Congress,” Shetty had said.