Confident of candidature, Sanjay Nirupam starts campaign

One of Sanjay Nirupam's new offices at Shastri Nagar, Andheri West. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam seems all set to contest from the Mumbai North-West Lok Sabha constituency, despite opposition from senior city Congress leaders. mid-day has found that Nirupam has already opened two offices in Andheri west, from where the campaign will be managed. Four more offices will be opened in the coming days. The development establishes that the party high command has given him the go-ahead to work in the segment and file his nomination.

Senior leaders upset
Nirupam had asked the party to shift him from Mumbai North, where he had lost in 2014 with a record margin to BJP's Gopal Shetty, to the neighbouring North-West. In 2009, Nirupam had won the seat. The North-West constituency is now open to all Congress aspirants in view of the untimely death of the previous contestant, Gurudas Kamat, who had shifted here from Mumbai North-East in 2009, won, and then lost in 2014.

Since Nirupam made his intent public, senior city Congress leaders have ganged up to oppose his proposal. Early this week they asked the party's selection panel to make Nirupam stick to the North because he alone could fight the BJP there. The decision was kept pending for the high command's clearance, which the Nirupam camp believes should be in his
favour.

While Nirupam has staked his claim, several other aspirants have also demanded the party's nomination in North-West. Former minister Suresh Shetty, Baldev Khosa, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi, city youth Congress president Ganesh Yadav and actor Nagma Morarji have also shown keen interest in contesting.

Nirupam confirmed he has opened the offices. "It's my home constituency where I have been working for 25 years. I wanted to be a candidate even in 2009, but the party fielded me from the North," he said, adding that he was confident of winning the North-West seat for the Congress.

Strategic programmes
It is not just offices that are bolstering his pre-election work, but the city Congress president has been holding several programmes. One such event will be held tomorrow in Andheri, in which he will interact with Gujarati voters. Previously, Nirupam networked with Muslim voters through a mushaira in Jogeshwari. A series of programmes is planned ahead of polls. A leader who has opposed Nirupam's candidature said like-minded leaders would continue to impress upon the party command to stall the party's city chief's shift.

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