Former Maharashtra minister Anees Ahmed rejoined the Congress on Saturday after missing the nomination deadline to contest as a Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) candidate. Ramesh Chennithala, the AICC in-charge, welcomed Ahmed back into the party, just a week after his departure to run as the VBA candidate for the Nagpur Central constituency in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.
On October 29, Ahmed faced a setback at the Nagpur collectorate, missing the nomination deadline by only minutes. A staunch supporter of the Gandhi family, Ahmed has previously won the Nagpur Central seat three times as a Congress candidate. Despite staying at the collectorate until 8 pm on Tuesday, the final day for nominations, his submission was ultimately rejected.
Ahmed claimed he encountered multiple obstacles, including road closures, vehicle restrictions, and heightened security around the Returning Officer’s office. He stated that he arrived at the collectorate before the 3 pm deadline, with his team holding his token number, but he was denied entry into the RO’s office.
Ahmed’s initial resignation from Congress raised concerns over a potential split in the Muslim vote, which could impact the party’s chances in the constituency. This election, Congress chose not to field Ahmed in Nagpur Central, which has a substantial Muslim population, instead nominating Bunty Shelke, who narrowly lost to the BJP in 2019.
