Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam seems all set to contest from the Mumbai North-West Lok Sabha constituency, despite opposition from senior city Congress leaders. mid-day has found that Nirupam has already opened two offices in Andheri west, from where the campaign will be managed. Four more offices will be opened in the coming days. The development establishes that the party high command has given him the go-ahead to work in the segment and file his nomination.

Senior leaders upset
Nirupam had asked the party to shift him from Mumbai North, where he had lost in 2014 with a record margin to BJP's Gopal Shetty, to the neighbouring North-West. In 2009, Nirupam had won the seat. The North-West constituency is now open to all Congress aspirants in view of the untimely death of the previous contestant, Gurudas Kamat, who had shifted here from Mumbai North-East in 2009, won, and then lost in 2014.