Congress expels Sanjay Nirupam for ‘anti-party statements’

“It seems Sanjay Nirupam has taken a contract to speak against the party, the way he has been making remarks,” said Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole

Mumbai: The Congress expelled former MP Sanjay Nirupam from the party on Wednesday. An order to this effect was issued by party general secretary KC Venugopal. “Taking note of the complaints of indiscipline and anti-party statements, the Congress president has approved the expulsion of Sanjay Nirupam from the party for a period of six years with immediate effect,” says the order.

The Congress expelled former MP Sanjay Nirupam from the party on Wednesday (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

The party had earlier removed him from the list of star campaigners. “It seems he has taken a contract to speak against the party, the way he has been making remarks,” said Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole.

The former Congress MP had been sidelined in the party. He was peeved that he was not given the Mumbai North West seat to contest. Nirupam blamed the Congress leadership for allowing the Shiv Sena (UBT) to contest from there. Despite Congress’ insistence, Uddhav Thackeray had declared Amol Kirtikar as their candidate for the seat.

Nirupam has been saying that the Congress had allowed itself to be arm-twisted by the Shiv Sena (UBT). “Congress is going against a particular religion because it is following too much secularism,” he told Marathi news channel ABP Majha.

The issue was discussed in the Congress campaign committee meeting held on Wednesday where leaders demanded action against him. Sources say that Patole had assured that action will be taken.

On his part, Nirupam had been hinting that he is planning to leave the Congress. He hinted the same in a post on ‘X’, formerly Twitter.

“Congress should not waste their energy and stationery on me. Instead, they should use the same to save the party. Anyway, it is going through a severe financial crisis. The ultimatum of a week given by me is completed today and tomorrow I will take a decision on my own,” he said in a post.

Sources say that Nirupam had been in touch with the Shiv Sena led by chief minister Eknath Shinde. That party had apparently conducted a survey regarding him in the Mumbai North West but the straw poll was not in his favour. Shiv Sena is yet to declare its candidate.

Nirupam remains an option for Shinde’s Shiv Sena but the party is worried that Marathi voters may not vote for him.

The party had recently inducted Bollywood actor Govinda Ahuja and made him star campaigner. He may be given the ticket too.

Nirupam has been in touch with top BJP leaders who are ready to welcome him into the party but can’t give any assurance regarding the ticket.

A journalist-turned-politician, Sanjay Nirupam came into the limelight first by aggressively defending Shiv Sena as editor of the party’s Hindi mouthpiece Dopahar Ka Saamana. Party chief Balasaheb Thackeray made him Rajya Sabha MP.

Nirupam left the Sena to join the Congress in May 2005. He was the party MP from Mumbai North constituency between 2009 and 2014. He also headed the Mumbai Congress unit for a period of four years.

During this period, the party badly lost the Mumbai civic elections. He was blamed for the lowest ever tally of the party in the civic polls and was subsequently removed from the post. He was one of the few Congress leaders who were critical of the party’s decision to join hands with Uddhav Thackeray to form the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi that formed the government with Uddhav as chief minister.