Miffed Cong leader Khan turns down AIMIM offer

On Saturday, AIMIM MP Imtiyaaz Jaleel offered a ticket to Khan. The Congressman thanked him but said he would not contest the polls on their ticket

Mumbai: A day after Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee working president Naseem Khan resigned as star campaigner for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls saying he was pained at the absence of Muslims among party nominees in the state, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) extended an offer to him to contest on their ticket. But Khan turned down the offer, saying he was still with the Congress. Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad too called on him and clarified that he had communicated his concerns to the high command.

Mumbai, India - June 13, 2023: Congress leader Naseem Khan arrives for the core committee meeting of the Congress party, at Garware Club, Churchgate, in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

As reported by HT, on Friday, Khan and another Congress leader Zakir Ahmed voiced their discontent over the party’s decision to not field any minority candidates from the state. Resigning as star campaigner and member of the campaign committee for the polls, Khan said though the party had decided to field him from the Mumbai North Central constituency, which has 6.5 lakh minorities and 2 lakh Hindi speakers, his name was not announced as a candidate.

Instead, the Congress decided to field city chief Varsha Gaikwad from the seat after its Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ally Shiv Sena (UBT) unilaterally announced Anil Desai as the candidate from Mumbai South Central. Gaikwad, who hails from Dharavi, was upset over this and had to be accommodated in Mumbai North Central, said party sources.

On Saturday, AIMIM MP Imtiyaaz Jaleel offered a ticket to Khan. The Congressman thanked him but said he would not contest the polls on their ticket.

“The question is why we could not give a single ticket to a minority. I am rejecting the AIMIM offer, but there is pain in the minority and I have raised this issue,” he told reporters. He also wrote to the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge about the matter, he said.

Later in the day, Gaikwad called on Khan. “He is like a brother to me. I met him as my brother. He has raised the issue with the high command and is with the party,” she said after the meeting.

Khan too confirmed that he was still with the Congress. “I have only resigned from the campaign committee,” he said. He also urged the Congress to nominate Malwani MLA Aslam Shaikh, a Muslim, from Mumbai North, where a candidate is yet to be declared.