Sanjay Nirupam, a former Member of Parliament, faced expulsion from the Congress party for six years following his public criticism of the party leadership during discussions on seat-sharing with Shiv Sena (UBT) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The decision to expel Nirupam from the primary membership of the party for six years was taken in response to his alleged acts of indiscipline and making anti-party statements. This action was confirmed through a letter issued by Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, citing complaints regarding Nirupam's behavior.
Nirupam's expulsion came shortly after he openly criticized his party's leadership during negotiations with Shiv Sena regarding seat allocations for the impending Lok Sabha polls. A resolution for his expulsion was passed by the Maharashtra unit of Congress and forwarded to the party's central leadership in Delhi. Additionally, his name was removed from the party's list of star campaigners.
In retaliation, Nirupam launched a scathing attack, suggesting that the party should focus its resources on addressing its severe financial crisis rather than expelling members. He hinted at unveiling his future plans the following day.
Nirupam, a former MP representing both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, had previously expressed his aspirations to contest from the Mumbai North-West constituency. However, his plans were complicated by Shiv Sena (UBT) declaring its own candidate for the seat, despite his interest in contesting.
His criticism of the state leadership's handling of negotiations with Shiv Sena, particularly regarding the unilateral declaration of candidates in Mumbai by Shiv Sena, stirred controversy within the party. Nirupam emphasized the importance of not succumbing to pressure from Shiv Sena and warned against compromising Congress's integrity.
