The yatra reached Mumbai's Bandra East, from where Zeeshan Siddiqui is a Congress MLA, in the afternoon

Zeeshan Siddiqui's father and former MLA Baba Siddiqui had left the Congress and joined the Ajit Pawar-led party recently

Incidentally, six Congress MLAs had crossvoted during last month's MLC elections in the state. It was rumoured that Zeeshan Siddiqui was among the six

"I am taking the responsibility of welcoming the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra as his rally passes through my assembly constituency. I am taking this opportunity to show my support for the government's Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme, which will greatly benefit numerous women in our state," Zeeshan Siddiqui told reporters

"A few days ago, Member of Parliament Varsha Gaikwad organised a 'Nyay' rally in Mumbai, which passed through my assembly constituency. I was not consulted or invited to participate despite being in the Congress. This is the treatment I am getting," he claimed

"The Congress has begun distributing nomination forms to candidates. However, when my representative approached the party, he was denied the nomination form

The message is clear to me. Nevertheless, I am determined to contest the upcoming assembly election," the Bandra East MLA asserted