Zeeshan Siddique Joins Ajit Pawar’s NCP Faction, Vows to Defend Vandre (East) Seat
Zeeshan Siddique, son of the late Baba Siddiqui, officially joined Ajit Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Friday morning. He made the move in the presence of Mr. Pawar, who currently serves as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister.
Zeeshan plans to defend the Vandre (East) seat, which he won in the 2019 election as a Congress candidate. His main opponent will be Varun Sardesai, nephew of Uddhav Thackeray, whose Shiv Sena faction is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance alongside Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP.
In August, the Congress expelled Zeeshan after allegations of cross-voting in a legislative council election. His decision to join Ajit Pawar’s NCP came a day after he publicly criticized the MVA for abandoning him following the death of his father, a three-time Congress MLA who also joined the NCP. Baba Siddiqui was shot dead on October 12 outside his son’s office in Bandra.
Zeeshan expressed his frustration after MVA leaders decided to allocate the Vandre (East) seat to Thackeray’s Shiv Sena as part of a seat-sharing agreement. He said it was unfortunate that the Congress gave away the seat without consulting him.
In his first statement after joining Ajit Pawar’s NCP, Zeeshan once again criticized the MVA for leaving him out. “The MVA declared their candidates, and Congress gave away my seat to Shiv Sena. This is very unfortunate,” he said. He added that although Congress and MVA leaders stayed in touch with him, they had no intention of supporting him.
Zeeshan expressed gratitude to Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, and other NCP leaders for trusting him during this difficult time. “This is an emotional day for my family and me,” he said, recalling how his father fought to retain the Vandre seat. Zeeshan is determined to fulfill his father’s dream of winning the seat again and advocating for the rights of the people.
On Thursday, after learning that the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena would contest Vandre (East), Zeeshan posted a sharp remark on X (formerly Twitter). He criticized his former allies, stating, “Supporting was never in their nature. Maintain relations with those who give respect.”
Baba Siddiqui, 66, was a former Food and Civil Supplies Minister and Congress MLA from the undivided Vandre seat. He served two terms before the seat was split in 2008. Afterward, he represented Vandre (West) until recently, when he also left Congress to join Ajit Pawar’s NCP.
Maharashtra will hold its elections in a single phase on November 20, with results expected on November 23.
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