After being expelled, Sanjay Nirupam criticises the Congress leadership, calling the party “directionless” and having “five power centres.”

Sanjay Nirupam, who was threatened with a six-year ban from the Congress, said on Thursday that the party moved quickly to remove him as soon as they got his letter of resignation. Shortly after criticising the party leadership during talks on seat-sharing with Shiv Sena (UBT) ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the former MP for both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha was expelled from the Congress.
At a news conference, Nirupam said that he had resigned and sent his resignation to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge before he was expelled. He bemoaned the party’s decision’s timeliness while emphasising the current course of events.

“I sent Mallikarjun Kharge my resignation at around 10:40 yesterday and made an announcement.” I believe that immediately after their decision (to exclude me from the party), the Congress party became utterly disorganised, and its officials declared that the party’s philosophy lacked direction,” the man said.

Public proclamation
Nirupam posted a screenshot of his resignation email to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on X, complimenting the party for its prompt reply. He promised to provide a more thorough explanation later in the day. “Looks like the party decided to issue my expulsion immediately after they received my resignation letter last night,” Nirupam said on X. It’s good to see such quick thinking. I just wanted to share this knowledge.”

Conflict over seats in Mumbai
Following a disagreement over the distribution of Mumbai’s Lok Sabha seats, Nirupam was expelled. The Shiv Sena (UBT) had unilaterally announced candidates for a number of seats, including Mumbai North West, which Nirupam had intended to run for.

Party reconciliation and discord
After Nirupam’s criticism, the Maharashtra Congress withdrew him off the list of star campaigners and issued a resolution calling for his expulsion. Shiv Sena (UBT) fielding a candidate foiled his hopes of contesting from Mumbai North West.

History of elections
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Nirupam ran for the Mumbai North West constituency but was defeated by Gopal Shetty of the BJP. Though he expressed interest in rerunning, his intentions were hindered by the rise of Shiv Sena (UBT) candidates.