Veteran politician Kamaal Farooqui on Monday rejoined the Congress after nearly two decades, along with his son and former Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Umar Kamaal Farooqui who had left for the Samajwadi Party in 2013.
Kamaal Farooqui previously held the post of chairman of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (Minority) and membership of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
“It is important to defeat the communal right-wing ideology of BJP and such likeminded parties, and the only party that can truly lead and reinstate the spirit of our country is the Congress,” Kamaal Farooqui said.
The Congress aims to tap into the Muslim votebank that makes up 11.5% of the Maharashtra electorate.
Parties such as the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by Asaduddin Owaisi, have made inroads in several regions, particularly in districts like Aurangabad, which was once a Congress stronghold, but saw declining Muslim support in recent years.