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Chief Minister Shinde welcomed Nirupam to the Senate at an event (Via: ANI)
Shinde announces Nirupam to be Shiv Sena deputy leader and spokesperson
Former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam joined the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde here on Friday.
The former Mumbai MP’s political journey has come full circle 19 years ago when he left the non-divisive Shiv Sena party, then led by Bal Thackeray.
Chief Minister Shinde welcomed Nirupam, who was expelled from the Congress last month for “anti-party activities”, to the Senate at an event. Shinde announced that Nirupam will serve as Shiv Sena deputy leader and spokesperson.
It is worth noting that the Shiv Sena has multiple “deputy leaders”.
Nirupam, 59, began his political career in the 1990s as the editor of the Shiv Sena’s Hindi mouthpiece Dophar Ka Saamana and became the party’s North India representative.
He joined the Congress in 2005 and was appointed general secretary of the Maharashtra State Congress Committee. He won the Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat in the 2009 elections, defeating BJP veteran Ram Naik. He held various positions in the Grand Old Party and led units in the city before falling out with the state parliamentary leadership.
After the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Nirupam opposed the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which consists of the Congress, NCP and Uddhav Thackeray-led non-divided Shiv Sena.
Last month, the Congress expelled him for six years for “discipline and anti-party remarks”, days after he issued a “one-week ultimatum” to the party over his coveted Mumbai North West seat. Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) is contesting the seat as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi seat-sharing agreement.
After Nirupam joined the Shiv Sena, Chief Minister Shinde pointed out that Bal Thackeray had sent him to the Union House twice and his work at the national level had enhanced the reputation of the Shiv Sena.
“Today, he has returned home,” Shinde said, adding that Nirupam’s inclusion would benefit the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP alliance candidates in the Mumbai-Than region. Efforts will be made to unite the people of North India behind the party.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a Yonhap news agency feed – PTI)
