n Amid the ongoing efforts by the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to finalise seat-sharing arrangement for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam ridicules Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray for abruptly announcing the name of his party candidate for Mumbai North-west seat.
In a development that caused strains between the Congress and its alliance partner Shiv Sena (UBT) in the MVA, Nirupam indirectly targeted Uddhav though a post on micro-blogging site “X” in which he wrote: “Yesterday, bachi-kuchi Shiv Sena ke pramukh announced his party candidate for Mumbai north-west seat”. Fifty-nine-year-old Nirupam, who has served one terms Rajya Sabha and one term in Lok Sabha, is eyeing for the Mumbai north-west seat.
What has miffed Nirupam is that Uddhav has announced the name of Amol Kirtikar as the party candidate candidate from Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat.
Incidentally, Amol is the son of two-time Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar, who has switched sides and joined the rival Shiv Sena, led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
It may be recalled that in 2014, the senior Kirtikar had defeated late Congress leader Gurudas Kamat, in 2019, Senior Kartikar defeated Nirupam.
Seeking intervention of the Congress leadership in this regard, Nirupam wrote: “Yesterday evening, the chief of the bachi-kuchi Shiv Sena announced the MVA candidate from Mumbai north-west seat in Andheri.... I have been receiving calls in this regard since last night. Despite two dozen meetings held among the alliance partners, MVA has not taken a final decision on the seat-sharing. Mumbai north-west is among the 8-9 seats for which final decision is pending. This is what I have been told by those participating in the seat-sharing talks”
“That being the case, isn't announcing the candidate from Shiv Sena a violation of alliance dharma? Or is such an act being done deliberately to humiliate the Congress? The top leadership of Congress should intervene. Who is the candidate whose name has been proposed by Shiv Sena?,” Nirupam asked.
Singing out Amol Kirtikar for an attack, Nirupam saidthat Amol was allegedly involved in the alleged Covid 'khichdi scam’ when Uddhav was the Chief Minister.
"Amol had taken a bribe in cheque from the khichdi supplier... During the Covid era, there was a commendable programme of providing free food to forced migrant labourers by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. But Shiv Sena's proposed candidate had taken commission from the scheme of feeding the poor," Nirupam said.
“The Enforcement Directorate is investigating the entire matter. Will Congress and Shiv Sena workers campaign for such a scam candidate? I am asking this question humbly to the leaderships of both the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress,” Nirupam said.