Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddiqui takes centre-stage as Ajit Pawar's rally reaches Mumbai

Zeeshan Siddique. File Pic/X

Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddiqui on Monday took part in the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) 'Jan Sanman Yatra' led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and said that his party was ignoring him, reported the PTI.

The yatra reached Mumbai's Bandra East, from where Zeeshan Siddiqui is a Congress MLA, in the afternoon.

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Zeeshan Siddiqui's father and former MLA Baba Siddiqui had left the Congress and joined the Ajit Pawar-led party recently.

Incidentally, six Congress MLAs had crossvoted during last month's MLC elections in the state. It was rumoured that Zeeshan Siddiqui was among the six.

"I am taking the responsibility of welcoming the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra as his rally passes through my assembly constituency. I am taking this opportunity to show my support for the government's Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme, which will greatly benefit numerous women in our state," Zeeshan Siddiqui told reporters, according to the PTI.

Attacking the Congress, he said his party was not inviting him to events and meetings.

"A few days ago, Member of Parliament Varsha Gaikwad organised a 'Nyay' rally in Mumbai, which passed through my assembly constituency. I was not consulted or invited to participate despite being in the Congress. This is the treatment I am getting," he claimed.

"The Congress has begun distributing nomination forms to candidates. However, when my representative approached the party, he was denied the nomination form.

The message is clear to me. Nevertheless, I am determined to contest the upcoming assembly election," the Bandra East MLA asserted.

Earlier, in February, Zeeshan Siddique has been removed as the president of the party's youth wing in Mumbai, days after his father Baba Siddique quit the party and joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, reported the PTI.

Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Srinivas BV had issued a statement naming Akhilesh Yadav, who once headed the party's student wing NSUI in the city, as the new chief of the Mumbai unit of the youth organisation in place of Zeeshan Siddique.

Along with Yadav, a former IYC secretary, eight other office-bearers were also appointed in the Mumbai Youth Congress by Srinivas.

(with PTI inputs)