Upset Over No Work in Cong, Naseemuddin Siddiqui Quits Party, May Join ASP-KR If BSP Shuts Doors

In what has come as a setback to the UP Congress ahead of the 2027 UP assembly polls, Naseemuddin Siddiqui, who commands the support of the Muslim community in the western UP region, resigned from the primary membership of the party on Saturday along with 73 of his supporters.

Highly-placed sources said that Siddiqui had been trying to get a role in the decision-making of the UP Congress, for which he was trying to get time for a discussion with Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi for about a year, but was unable to do so.

Sources said that Siddiqui had been feeling that he did not have enough say in the party for quite some time and was also worried about his future in the party.

Highly-placed sources said that while Siddiqui had been looking to return to the BSP, he may join the Azad Samaj Party-Kanshiram led by Chandrashekhar Aazad, if the BSP chief decides against his inclusion in the party.

In his resignation letter that has been marked to the Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, LoP Rahul Gandhi, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, UP Congress in-charge Avinash Pandey and UP Congress chief Ajay Rai, Siddiqui wrote that he is resigning from the primary membership of the party along with his supporters “due to unavoidable reasons.”

In a statement issued after his resignation, Siddiqui said he had been unable to work at the grassroots level for the past eight years that he stayed in the Congress.

He said that while he had no resentment towards anyone, including Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, he wanted to work for the party at the grassroots level, which he was unable to do in the Congress.

Speaking to TSG, sources in the UP Congress said that while Siddiqui had been unhappy over not being given any major role in the party, including during the 2024 elections, the latest trigger was that he could not get entry at the Amausi airport to receive LoP Rahul Gandhi when the latter was on a visit to Raibareilly, where he travelled to via Lucknow.

While Siddiqui has commented that he will make his future plans clear in the next four days, sources of Azad Samaj Party-Kanshiram (ASP-KR) say that he was welcome to join the Chandrashekhar-led outfit and may join the party in a major role.

ASP-KR is organising a major rally in BSP chief Mayawati’s stronghold, Agra, on Sunday, which is a symbolically significant region for the BSP, having the reputation of the “Dalit capital.”

Till late Saturday evening, Rai continued his efforts to pacify a miffed Siddiqui in Lucknow and tried to convince him to change his mind but sources said that Siddiqui was not ready to relent.

“Siddiqui had been trying to meet Rahul Gandhi and discuss his role in the party for about a year, but was not getting any chance for the same. He has met Rahul ji, but could not get a chance to have a discussion with him. He had been worried about his role in the party,” a senior UP Congress leader told TSG.

The leader mentioned above said that while Siddiqui has used the inability to welcome Gandhi during his Lucknow visit as an alibi, he wanted a share in the decision-making of the UP Congres,s which he was unable to get.

Siddiqui who had been expelled from the BSP in 2017 had joined the Congress in 2018 along with his supporters. He had had a very uneasy exit from the party in which he once commanded the respect of being the number two leader.

After being expelled, Siddiqui had played six audio recordings of his purported phone conversations with Mayawati alleging that Rs 50 crore had been demanded from him and had also claimed that he was in possession of six such recordings and had enough material to cause “an earthquake.”

Siddiqui had also commented that time that Mayawati had referred to “bearded Muslims as dogs.” This was followed by Mayawati addressing a hurried press conference and saying that expelled Siddiqui was a big blackmailer and earned money from the same.

She had hit back saying that she had received complaints from party workers about Siddiqui demanding money from them.

While insiders say that taping Mayawati’s conversations could mean that she may not allow to take him back in the party fold, BSP sources say that behenji’s decision was not yet clear on the issue.

“If behenji does not agree to take him back in the party fold, Siddiqui may head to ASP-KR which is eager to induct him,” a senior BSP leader told TSG.

ASP-KR sources said that Chandrashekhar Aazad who has been inducting several leaders of the Muslim community was more than willing to induct Siddiqui in his party fold.

Over the past several years, Aazad has been inducting many leaders from the minority community in the western UP region into his party including some tainted names that has also sparked controversy.

Siddiqui had joined the Congress in 2018 along with scores of his supporters.