Congress Seeks Muslim Votes Over Candidates? Internal Division Goes Public

The former state minister expressed disappointment that the MVA did not nominate any Muslim candidates for the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. He noted that many Muslim organizations, leaders, and party workers had expected the Congress to nominate at least one candidate from the minority community, but this did not happen.

The politician mentioned that party leaders and workers are questioning the Congress’s decision, asking why the party wants Muslim votes but did not nominate Muslim candidates. He wrote a letter stating that he is unable to face the community and does not have answers for them.

The Congress is contesting 17 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in alliance with the Shiv Sena and the NCP, both part of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi. Muhammed Arif Khan was in the running for a ticket from Mumbai North Central but the party chose a different candidate.

He had previously contested in the 2019 assembly elections but lost. In a separate statement to PTI, Mr. Khan commented that the Congress has deviated from its long-held ideology of inclusivity and is not giving representation to all communities.

He expressed his dissatisfaction with the party’s decision.