Mumbai: Fissures within the Congress are now out in the open, barely a month before the BMC elections in the city. On Friday, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and former MP Gurudas Kamat withdrew from party’s poll campaign, while hitting out at city party chief Sanjay Nirupam for his “negative attitude”.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Kamat sent a text message to party workers saying, “All applicants for Mumbai municipal corporation tickets are requested to contact their local MLA candidates and district Congress president to get party nomination as I have withdrawn from the entire exercise of selection of candidates and campaign due to negative attitude of Sanjay Nirupam."
The rift between the camps of both leaders has been brewing for a while now, but the timing this time could hurt the party’s poll chances and campaign preparations, sources said. The Kamat group has a considerable support base within the BMC.
Firing the latest salvo in the long-standing cold war, Mr. Kamat had last year alleged that party block presidents were appointed by Mr. Nirupam without building a consensus among party loyalists and seniors. Mr. Kamat then resigned from his post as AICC general secretary in-charge of Gujarat and Rajasthan. The Nirupam camp retaliated by removing Devendra Amberkar, considered a close Kamat aide, as the Opposition leader in the BMC. He was replaced by Pravin Chheda, a Nirupam supporter and senior leader in the BMC.
Reacting to Mr. Kamat’s allegations, Mr. Nirupam said the distribution of tickets was a democratic process. “Right now we are focussed on throwing out the Shiv Sena and the BJP from the BMC. These issues could be looked at after the civic elections,” he said.
