Tight contest for Mumbai Youth Congress chief post

Congress MLA Zeeshan Siddique and former National Students’ Union of India Mumbai chief Suraj Singh Thakur are locked in a tight race for the Mumbai Youth Congress chief’s post, ahead of the key civic body polls.

Mr. Siddiqui had won over 80,000 votes, while Mr Thakur bagged 74,000 votes in an internal poll. All India Youth Congress leaders in Delhi are set to interview the duo and announce the winner soon. Mr. Siddiqui is the son of Baba Siddiqui, a former MLA and minister, while Mr. Thakur has risen through the ranks, making it a battle between a dynast and a grassroots leader.

The Mumbai unit of the party is battling a charge that it has not given adequate representation to the sizeable north Indian population in the city. “With the Mumbai civic body polls in less than a year, we are in a direct contest with the BJP at many places where the north Indian population is in majority. The BJP has ensured the representation of north Indian leaders. Over 70 of the 227 wards are decided on north Indian votes. The issue should be considered seriously,” a party official said.

Of the party’s four MLAs in Mumbai, three are Muslims, while one is from the Scheduled Castes category. A number of north Indian leaders have deserted the party to join the BJP in the recent past. Senior party leaders from Mumbai refused to comment on the contest and said the high command would soon announce the winner.