If party doesn’t want me, will review options: Mumbai Cong MLA

Mumbai, Feb 22 (IANS) A day after he was unceremoniously dumped as Mumbai Indian Youth Congress President, city unit Congress MLA Zeeshan B. Siddique said on Thursday that he would consider fresh political alternatives.

“If the Congress does not want me, I will have to look for new options,” retorted Zeeshan, an MLA from Bandra East who was the youngest to get elected to the Assembly in 2019, rattling Congress circles.

The developments came barely two weeks after Zeeshan’s father, Baba Ziauddin Siddique, three-time ex-MLA from Bandra West and ex-Minister suddenly quit the Congress and joined the Nationalist Congress Party led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

Spelling rumblings within the city and state Congress, Mumbai Congress President Prof. Varsha Gaikwad removed Zeeshan on Wednesday and named Akhilesh Yadav as the new Mumbai Youth Congress President and Sufiyan M. Haider as the Working President.

” … dreams and aspirations of young India have been crushed due to rising unemployment and joblessness. The #BharatJodoNyayYatra is committed to fighting for and achieving #YuvaNyay. I look forward to working closely with Akhilesh and Sufiyan in Mumbai to ensure that the Congress’s call for justice reaches every young Mumbaikar,” said Prof Gaikwad, an MLA from Dharavi and an ex-minister, posted on X.

Reacting sharply to the humiliation, Zeeshan Siddique said he would respond today (February 22) on his next course of action, and said that 88,517 MYC members voted for him – the highest in the MYC’s history – to become the Congress’ city unit president.

He pointed out that the MYC President’s post is not a nominated assignment attainable by lobbying or being a ‘yes man’ but through proper elections.

“After giving 12 years to the organisation having fought three elections it is unfortunate that I have not received any official intimation from the party and I have to learn about my ousting from media and social media,” he said, venting his ire on ‘X’.

–IANS

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