Abdul Hafeez, party leader in Maharashtra, resigns amid growing resentment
Team Clarion
MUMBAI – Increasing sidelining of Muslim leaders is brewing discontent in Congress workers. The party is faced with internal turmoil as several leaders are unhappy over the exclusion of Muslim candidates in the recent Maharashtra Legislative Council elections.
Senior Congress leader and party’s general secretary in Maharashtra, Abdul Hafeez, has resigned from his position after a recent meeting with the party’s state president, Nana Patole, in Mumbai.
Abdul Hafeez’s resignation has sparked a wave of support from other Muslim leaders within the party. “We support Abdul Hafeez and agree with the reasons for his resignation. Muslims voted unilaterally for the Congress and its allies in the Lok Sabha elections, contributing to their victory, yet no Muslim candidate was given a ticket,” local Congress leader Dr. Abdul Baqi said.
Dr. Baqi further explained the dissatisfaction among Muslim workers: “There was a strong demand to nominate a Muslim representative for at least one seat, but the party ignored these calls. When the terms of two Muslim representatives in the Legislative Council were ending, a new Muslim face was requested to replace them. However, the party high command again ignored this request and instead gave the ticket to Pragya Sato from Hingoli.”
He emphasised the significance of Muslim votes in the success of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidates, stating, “Muslim votes played a crucial role in these victories. The demand to nominate Muslim candidates in the Vidhan Parishad elections was voiced from Nanded to Mumbai and from Mumbai to Delhi. Leaders met with KC Venugopal, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and party president Mallikarjun Kharge, but the party did not heed their requests.”
The dissatisfaction is not new. During the Lok Sabha elections, former state minister Arif Naseem Khan also raised concerns over lack of Muslim representation in the Congress. Abdul Hafeez’s resignation has brought these issues to the forefront once again.
As Abdul Hafeez handed over his resignation to Nana Patole, he was supported by other party workers from Nanded, underscoring the widespread discontent within the party. This development has highlighted the need for the Congress to address the grievances of its Muslim members and ensure fair representation in future elections.
