Mumbai (Maharashtra): Senior Congress leader Muhammed Arif 'Naseem' Khan, who was one of the star campaigners for Lok Sabha elections, resigned from the campaign committee of the party after the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition in Maharashtra didn't field a single Muslim candidate in the polls.
In the letter referred to Congress President, Khan thanked Mallikarjun Kharge for naming him as one of the star campaigners for the polls and said that he won't be campaigning for the party in the Lok Sabha elections.
MVA is the coalition of three parties in Maharashtra -- Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar).
"From a total of 48 seats in Maharashtra, MVA has not nominated a single Muslim candidate in Maharashtra," he stated in the letter.
The senior leader said that many Muslim organizations, leaders, and party workers in the state were expecting Congress to field at least 1 candidate but "unfortunately" the party hasn't nominated a single Muslim candidate.
"Now they are asking...Congress ko Muslim vote chahiye...candidate kyu nahi (Congress wants Muslim votes, but why not candidates)?" Khan stated.
Stating that he is "upset' with the party's "unfair decision", the Congress leader said that he fulfilled his election responsibilities in several states -- Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Telangana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra and others -- whenever the party asked him to.
"Due to all these reasons, I will not be able to face and I have no answers to the Muslims and other Muslim organizations in Maharashtra who always raise this issue...Therefore, I have decided not to campaign for the party during the Lok Sabha elections 2024 and also resign from the campaign committee of the Maharashtra Lok Sabha election 2024," the letter further added.
Earlier on Thursday, the Muslim Voter Council of India on Thursday wrote a letter to Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Chandra Pawar (NCP-SCP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and expressed their "disappointment" over not fielding Muslim candidates in the Lok Sabha elections.
Adbul Bari Khan, Chief Convenor, of the Muslim Voter Council of India, said that the polling for the first phase has been completed and we are looking for the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh phases.
The MVA recently announced its seat-sharing arrangement for Maharashtra's 48 Lok Sabha seats.
Under the arrangement, Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest 21 seats, Congress will fight on 17 seats and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) will put up candidates in 10 seats.
The elections in the state will be held in the state in five phases from April 19 to May 20. Votes will be counted on June 4.
