Baba Siddique, who ended his nearly five-decade association with the Congress party, is set to join the NCP today. While talking to the reporters on Friday, the Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said, Baba Siddique will join NCP on February 10, evening, and on February 11, some more will join the party.Baba Siddiques exit will affect congress Siddiques decision is being viewed as a major setback for Congress in view of the ensuing Lok Sabha elections as he was the partys Muslim face in Mumbai. But Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said Siddiques resignation will have no impact on the party and everyone is at liberty to take their own decisions. Second exit of Congress leaderThis is the second exit of a key city Congress leader after former MP Milind Deora joined chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Jan 14. While Deora is likely to be a Shiv Sena candidate in the Feb 27 Rajya Sabha elections, Siddique may be appointed as city NCP president in place of Sameer Bhujbal or considered for Rajya Sabha nomination. About Baba Siddique A two-time BMC corporator, Siddique won Bandra West assembly constituency in 1999 on a Congress ticket and retained the seat in 2004 and 2009 polls. However, on 2014, he lost to BJPs Ashish Shelar, while he did not contest the 2019 assembly elections. Siddique also served as minister of state for food and civil supplies in the Congress-NCP government in 2004-2008.
