Naseemuddin Siddiqui, a key player in Uttar Pradesh politics and the one who held 18 ministries simultaneously in the Mayawati government, left the Congress on Saturday along with his colleagues. He was expelled from the party by Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on May 10, 2017, after which he joined the Congress in February 2018. He was in the Congress since then and while in the party, he worked for the party in the 2019 Lok Sabha, 2022 UP Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But, after being in the Congress for eight years, Naseemuddin Siddiqui said goodbye to the Congress.
As soon as news of his resignation was received, UP Congress in-charge Avinash Pandey and state Congress president Ajay Rai tried to persuade him, but the matter could not be resolved. This is a major blow to the Congress party, which is seeking political ground in an important state like Uttar Pradesh. Siddiqui is considered one of the state’s most prominent Muslim leaders. He has always worked within the organization. So, let’s find out how significant a force Naseemuddin Siddiqui is in Uttar Pradesh.
After resigning from the Congress party, Avinash Pandey and Ajay Rai met former MLA Naseemuddin Siddiqui, who later told the media, “There was no meeting. It was a courtesy call. The meeting happened, and they left. I’m a grassroots man. Whoever wants a position can take it, but I don’t want any. I’m a worker, and a worker is everything. Over the past eight years, I felt my grassroots work wasn’t being fully utilized.”
He said, “Why would anyone be surprised by my resignation? I’m not the only one in the Congress party who is leaving. Today, in the BJP, at the central and state levels, there are ministers who were once considered close friends of Rahul Gandhi. Some of them even went to jail for corruption. Today, those leaders are ministers and chief ministers in the BJP. So, if their departure made no difference, how will my departure make any difference?” However, he ruled out joining any other party for now, saying, “I will decide whether to join a party or form my own party after meeting with my close leaders.”
Naseemuddin Siddiqui was serving as the Congress’s Western Region provincial president. However, the reason for his departure from the party is currently unclear. He did say, “I was never angry, nor did I ever say so. I want work, not respect.” This statement clearly indicates that he had been marginalized within the Congress for quite some time. Once the number two leader in the BSP, he left the party after joining the Congress.
There is a common rumor that Naseemuddin Siddiqui was unhappy with the lack of importance he received in the party. Recently, when Rahul Gandhi visited Rae Bareli, many prominent leaders were present at the Lucknow airport. Naseemuddin Siddiqui was also present at the airport, but only a select few were allowed to welcome Rahul Gandhi. Siddiqui was unable to meet Rahul Gandhi.
Naseemuddin Siddiqui has served as a minister four times in various governments of Uttar Pradesh. He first served as the Agriculture Minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1997 for six months in the Mayawati government. He then became a minister in the Kalyan Singh government. In the Mayawati government from 2002 to 2003, Naseemuddin Siddiqui was once again appointed minister of three ministries. This marked Naseemuddin Siddiqui’s golden age, when BSP supremo and then-Chief Minister Mayawati entrusted him with more portfolios than she herself held—a record 18. This had never happened in Indian history. At that time, Naseemuddin’s power was such that he held the number two position in both the BSP and the government. He was called the Super CM.
Naseemuddin Siddiqui served as a legislator from 1991 to 2017. Siddiqui worked shoulder to shoulder with former Chief Minister Mayawati from the very beginning. He joined the Bahujan Samaj Party in 1984 and remained with the BSP until 2017. He has experience working in every corner and region of Uttar Pradesh. Naseemuddin Siddiqui may come from a Muslim background, but he has experience working among Dalits, Mahadalits, backward classes, poor upper castes, and Muslims.
However, after the party’s defeat in the 2017 assembly elections, Mayawati expelled Siddiqui from the BSP. This seasoned leader of Uttar Pradesh politics joined the Congress party on February 22nd at the Congress office in New Delhi, along with over 35,000 of his supporters and several former MPs and MLAs from Uttar Pradesh. In this situation, Naseemuddin Siddiqui’s departure from the party can be considered a major blow to the Congress.
