Mumbai, Apr 26 (IANS): The Congress on Thursday nominated Mumbai unit city chief Varsha E. Gaikwad as the candidate for the prestigious Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha constituency.
A four-term MLA and ex-minister, Gaikwad, 49, is a prominent Dalit leader of the Congress and currently serving as the first woman president of the Mumbai unit since June 2023.
In the past, her father, late Eknath Gaikwad had represented Mumbai North Central in Lok Sabha (2004), and was also the city party head.
Later, Priya Dutt was elected from here in 2009.
With Varsha Gaikwad's candidature, the curtains have fallen on a clamour within the party to nominate a Muslim candidate from Mumbai North Central. State Congress Working President M. Arif Naseem Khan and others were among the hopefuls.