A low-profile Amarjit Singh Manhas finds tough competition in the two big names pitched for MRCC president's post
Sanjay Nirupam and Milind Deora (File pic)
The competition for the post of Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) chief has intensified with the names of former presidents Sanjay Nirupam and Milind Deora popping up for a return to office. Other contenders like Amarjit Singh Manhas are lobbying hard even as national general secretary in-charge of the state, Mallikarjun Kharge, attempts to prolong incumbent Eknath Gaikwad's stay in MRCC.
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Nirupam's supporters are projecting his candidature because they feel that the leader was removed unceremoniously ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Deora replaced Nirupam but quit after the party's dismal show. His resignation was accepted much later and Gaikwad made interim president for the Assembly polls – an arrangement, which continues to be in place. However, the change of power in the state has encouraged aspirants to stake claim to the post, primarily because Gaikwad's daughter was made a cabinet minister.
After Kharge directed them to the high command in New Delhi, the Manhas supporters intensified their lobbying. Well-connected with Delhi, Deora does not need Kharge's intervention. The national general secretary and Nirupam are not on good terms because of the latter's criticism of the former's working style.
Sources said that Deora is keen on holding a national position in the party, but his supporters want him to give yet another shot at the Mumbai office and take forward the task in the city, which once was a Congress stronghold. The Manhas sympathisers, who primarily belong to the late Gurudas Kamat group, have sought Deora's help in getting the MRCC vice-president promoted. But Deora's supporters insist that their leader should consider his candidate for the job, and in that case they want party MLA Amin Patel as the president, if Deora isn't interested in working in the Mumbai unit again.
A Nirupam supporter said some senior leaders in New Delhi were in the ex-MP's favour. "We're told that when asked by Sonia ji, three of the four senior Delhi leaders, who met the president, preferred Nirupam," he said. However, the leader said that there was a strong feeling in Mumbai Congress factions that Kharge was batting for Gaikwad, who had sought disciplinary action against Nirupam for criticising the party affairs. But he said the Delhi bosses have buried the complaint because they want Nirupam to stay in the party.
Another interesting aspect of the contest is that both Deora and Nirupam enjoy easy access to Rahul Gandhi and might seek the top decision-maker's intervention, if they really want to lead the city unit again. A former MRCC president said, "We're not sure who among the two will make it and when. And we won't be surprised if a leader other than these two is made the president. Till then, Gaikwad can enjoy the position."
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