Former MP Sanjay Nirupam has taken dig at the Congress amid reports of his potential expulsion from the party. He stated on Wednesday that the party need not waste resources, as he would decide his next course of action on Thursday.
Sanjay Nirupam, a former MP and senior leader of Congress in the state, has been vocal in criticising Team Uddhav, particularly after the party released the candidate list for Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra.
Patole stated to the press, "His name appeared among the star campaigners, but it has been cancelled. Considering the nature of his statements, appropriate action will be taken within a day or two.”
"Congress Party should not waste much energy and stationery for me. Instead, use it 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," he wrote on X.
The tensions within the MVA alliance over seat allocations intensified with reports of Nirupam's desire to contest from Mumbai North West, a seat allocated to the Shiv Sena by the alliance. Last week, Nirupam criticized his party's leadership for allowing the Shiv Sena (UBT) to secure the majority of Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai, saying that "all options were open" to him.
Nirupam also targeted the candidate nominated by Shiv Sena for Mumbai North West, Amol Kirtikar, who is the son of MP Gajanan Kirtikar.
The elections in Maharashtra, the Indian state with the second-highest number of Lok Sabha seats, will be conducted in five phases from April 19 to May 20. The results are scheduled to be declared on June 4. Maharashtra holds 48 seats out of the total 543 seats up for election nationwide, ranking second after Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 seats.
Here are the key details of the Maharashtra Lok Sabha Elections 2024:
- Election Phases:
- Phase 1 (April 19): Ramtek (SC), Nagpur, Bhandara-Gondiya, Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST), Chandrapur
- Phase 2 (April 26): Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani
- Phase 3 (May 7): Raigad, Baramati, Osmanabad, Latur (SC), Solapur (SC), Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Hatkanangle
- Phase 4 (May 13): Nandurbar (ST), Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad, Maval, Pune, Shirur, Ahmednagar, Shirdi (SC), Beed
- Phase 5 (May 20): Dhule, Dindori (ST), Nashik, Palghar (ST), Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Thane, Mumbai North, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South-Central, Mumbai South
The political landscape in Maharashtra has witnessed significant shifts in alliances and party dynamics since 2014. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA alliance came to power at the Centre in 2014, leading to changes in state politics. In the 2014 Legislative Assembly elections, a coalition between Shiv Sena and BJP secured the most seats, forming the ruling government.
Before 2014, Maharashtra was predominantly governed by a coalition comprising the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Indian National Congress (INC).