Lok Sabha elections 2024: Expulsion action taken after Congress received my resignation letter, claims Sanjay Nirupam

Sanjay Nirupam. File Pic

Former MP Sanjay Nirupam on Thursday took a swipe at the Congress leadership over his expulsion, claiming it was done after he sent his resignation letter to the party.

Taking note of complaints of indiscipline and anti-party statements, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge late Wednesday night approved Nirupam's expulsion from the party for six years with immediate effect.

On Thursday morning, former Mumbai Congress chief Nirupam in a post on X said, "Looks like, immediately after the party received my resignation letter last night, they decided to issue my expulsion. Good to see such promptness."

In the letter to Kharge, Nirupam said, "I have finally decided to fulfil your much awaited desire and hereby announce that I chose to resign from the primary membership of the All India Congress Committee."

Nirupam, who was eyeing the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency, was miffed with the party for allowing the Shiv Sena (UBT) to take the seat for the upcoming parliamentary polls.

The demand for action against Nirupam grew after he castigated the Maharashtra Congress leadership for "ceding" constituencies in Mumbai to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party during seat-sharing talks of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance for Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Sanjay Nirupam was expelled from the Congress for "indiscipline" and "anti-party statements," Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal said in a statement.

"Taking note of the complaints of indiscipline and anti-party statements, the Hon'ble Congress President has approved the expulsion of Shri Sanjay Nirupam from the party for six years with immediate effect," Venugopal said in the statement on Wednesday night.

The party's decision comes after Nirupam was removed from the list of star campaigners for the Congress party in Lok Sabha general elections 2024 earlier in the day.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Congress dropped Nirupam's name as a star campaigner, indicating the crisis was escalating.

Nirupam then launched a sharp attack, saying as the party was experiencing a "serious financial crisis", it should utilise the stationery and energy to save itself, apparently alluding to the Income Tax Department's action for tax demand, reported PTI.

The former MP from Mumbai North had also said the Congress leadership should not allow itself to be arm-twisted by the Shiv Sena (UBT), reported PTI.

Accepting the Shiv Sena (UBT's) decision to unilaterally field candidates in Mumbai amounted to allowing the destruction of Congress, he had claimed, reported PTI.

A former Shiv Sainik, Nirupam quit Shiv Sena in 2005.

He took up the cause of north Indian hawkers and subsequently made his way into the Congress. In 2009, he successfully contested from Mumbai North seat.

Nirupam lost the 2014 elections from the same constituency against BJP's Gopal Shetty.

(With inputs from PTI)