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‘Cong too can announce candidates’: Milind Deora's veiled jibe at Sena (UBT)
Milind Deora revealed that he had been receiving phone calls from Congress workers who expressed concerns over an MVA ally staking claim to the constituency.
The infighting within the opposition ‘INDIA’ bloc is far from over in Maharashtra. The Mumbai South seat has become the latest flashpoint between the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) faction.
Congress leader Milind Deora is reportedly upset over Uddhav Thackeray's party staking claim to the constituency even before the Lok Sabha election dates have been announced. He said if such statements by an "alliance partner" don't stop, his party too can announce candidates for seats.
Without naming Shiv Sena (UBT), Deora in a video message said an alliance partner had been making one-sided claims over seat sharing.
"Last week, their spokesperson asked the Congress to start from zero. If this wasn't enough, a fresh claim over the Mumbai South seat was made at a rally of the ally yesterday in Girgaum," he was quoted by PTI as saying.
"If a party doesn't want to wait till the formal talks on seat sharing conclude, the Congress will stake the claim and announce candidates. I hope this message reaches important people in Mumbai and Delhi. I appeal to you to be patient,"
Deora added.
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The former Union minister said that the Lok Sabha elections would not be easy for the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, and hence nobody should make claims and counter-claims.
The MVA comprises Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and the Congress.
On December 28 last year, a war of words had erupted after Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut had said that Congress will have to start from zero in seat sharing talks.
Raut had said,"We have always said that Shiv Sena has always been fighting on 23 seats in the Lok Sabha elections and during our (INDIA alliance) meeting, we decided that discussions will be done later on the seats that we have won. Congress did not win a seat in Maharashtra so they have to start from zero (seats) but Congress is an important ally for us in MVA."
Deora had hit back at Raut, saying,"According to Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena is the biggest party in the MVA despite losing 40 MLAs. He is suggesting Congress to start seat negotiations from zero. He is talking about the party which is the biggest opposition party in the Maharashtra assembly and is leading the opposition".
Why is Mumbai South seat significant for Cong-Uddhav Sena?
The Mumbai South Lok Sabha seat is represented by Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Sawant since 2014. He had won the elections when the Sena was undivided and in an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Deora said the constituency has traditionally been with the Congress for years. Milind Deora won the seat in 2004 and 2009. His father Murli Deora won three successive elections from this seat in 1984, 1989 and 1991.
"My family is connected with voters here based on the work done by us and this relationship developed over the years," said Milind Deora.
"The Deoras have been serving this constituency for the last 50 years as MPs or otherwise. We were not elected on any wave," he said without naming sitting MP Arvind Sawant.
