After Congress expulsion, Baba Siddique’s son joins Ajit Pawar’s NCP
Siddique, who was expelled by the Congress in August following allegations of cross-voting in the legislative council elections, will now contest to retain the Vandre (East) seat he originally won under the party’s banner in 2019.
In a significant shift within Maharashtra's political landscape, Zeeshan Siddique, son of the late Congress leader Baba Siddique, has aligned himself with the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). His move comes just before the Assembly elections, signaling his break from the Congress after being expelled in August for cross-voting in a legislative council election.
Siddique, 32, who held the Vandre (East) constituency seat under the Congress banner since 2019, will now contest the seat as an NCP candidate. His primary contender is Varun Sardesai, nephew of former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, representing the Shiv Sena faction allied with the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
Zeeshan Siddique Shares Frustration with MVA
Upon joining the NCP, Siddique voiced his disappointment with the MVA coalition, accusing it of abandoning him after his father’s assassination. “This is an emotional day for me and my family. I am deeply grateful to Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, and Sunil Tatkare for standing by me in these challenging times,” Siddique stated. Now the NCP’s official candidate for Vandre (East), he expressed confidence in winning once more. “With the support of the people, I am sure I’ll emerge victorious in Vandre (East),” he remarked to the media.
Tensions with Congress
Siddique’s break from the Congress was underscored when the MVA named another candidate for his constituency on Thursday. In a direct message on X (formerly Twitter), he criticized the Congress for their actions, stating, “Old friends have announced their candidates. Supporting others was never in their nature.”
The Vandre (East) constituency forms part of the MVA’s seat-sharing deal, with the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, Congress, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP jointly holding 85 seats, leaving 33 for smaller allies. The November 20 elections will test these alliances in Maharashtra.
