Maharashtra Congress Leader Quits Post To Protest Party's Rajya Sabha Pick
NDTV
The Congress list of Rajya Sabha candidates was released yesterday causing massive resentment in the ranks and open dissent within the party.
Alleging "imposition" of an outsider in the state, Maharashtra Congress leader Ashish Deshmukh today wrote to Congress president Sonia Gandhi announcing his resignation from the post of General Secretary of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee. Calling it an injustice on Congress workers, Mr Deshmukh objected to Uttar Pradesh leader Imran Pratapgarhi being named the party's pick from Maharashtra. Another senior Congress leader from the state, Nagma, had yesterday expressed disappointment on Mr Pratapgarhi being chosen for the upper house.
"Imposing an outside candidate will not benefit the party in terms of growth. This is injustice towards general Congress workers in Maharashtra," he said, adding that he will continue to work with the Congress party "as a loyal Congress worker" and fulfil his commitments.
The Congress list of Rajya Sabha candidates that was released yesterday, causing massive resentment in the ranks, named 34-year-old Imran Pratapgarhi, the Congress minority department chairperson and a poet, a candidate from Maharashtra.
In 2019, Mr Pratapgarhi had contested the Lok Sabha election from Moradabad on a Congress ticket but lost his to the BJP candidate.
