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Milind Deora ends ‘55-yr relationship’ with Congress, to join Shinde-led Shiv Sena
Deora, who was recently appointed the joint treasurer of the All India Congress Committee, had expressed disapproval at the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) laying claim to the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat as an alliance partner of the Congress-led INDIA bloc
Mumbai: Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Milind Deora resigned from the primary membership of the party on Sunday. In a post on social media platform X, Deora said that he was ending his “family’s 55-year relationship” with the party.
Milind, son of Congress veteran leader Murli Deora, confirmed his resignation in a post on X. “Today marks the conclusion of a significant chapter in my political journey. I have tendered my resignation from the primary membership of @INCIndia, ending my family’s 55-year relations with the party. I am grateful to all leaders, colleagues & Karyakartas for their unwavering support over the years,” he wrote.
“I am grateful to all leaders, colleagues & karyakartas for their unwavering support over the years,” Deora added.
Deora served as a Union minister in the then-Congress-led government from 2012 to 2014. He was also a former president of Mumbai Pradesh Congress Committee.
The resignation comes even as speculation was rife over the past few days that Deora would join the Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
According to the people familiar with the matter, Deora, along with 10 former corporators, 20 office bearers of the party from South Mumbai and representatives of key business organisations, would join Shiv Sena in the presence of CM Shinde today.
Around 1.30pm, Deora is expected to leave to meet Shinde at his official residence – Varsha bungalow.
Deora, who was recently appointed the joint treasurer of the All India Congress Committee, had expressed disapproval at the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) laying claim to the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat as an alliance partner of the Congress-led INDIA bloc.
The South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat was held by Deora twice in 2004 and 2009. He, however, had lost the seat in 2014 and 2019 to Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant for two terms.
Thackeray-led Sena faction has staked the claim on the seat again for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as part of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi, the three-party alliance with Congress and Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Sharad Pawar.
Amid the speculations that he would quit the party, Deora had said on Saturday that he was holding talks with his supporters. Shinde-led Sena leader Uday Samant had said on Saturday, “It will help them in expanding their base in Mumbai if the senior leader like Deor joined us.”
Senior Congress leader and former minister Balasaheb Thorat said that the decision by Deora was unfortunate. “The ominous bid by tendering his resignation on the occasion of the launch of the second phase of Bharat Jodo Yatra by Rahul Gandhi was unfortunate and unsuccessful too. His late father Murli Deora, too, would have not liked the attempt to create troubles in Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra which has begun to safeguard the interest of the poor and downtrodden,” he has said in a post on X.
Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad has appealed to Deora to reconsider his decision to quit the party. “Maharashtra in-charge of the party and I were constantly in touch with Deora for the last few days. Congress is like a Pariwar and the Deora family has very important different standing in the party. We believe that the party should remain united. It is unfortunate and painful that the resignation has come on the day of the launching of the Bharat Jodi Nyay Yatra by Rahulji,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi over Deora’s resignation from the party, saying he should first do justice to his party leaders before taking out ‘nyay yatra’.
BJP IT cell Amit Malviya in a social media post said, “Rahul Gandhi should first do nyay (justice) to his party leaders. Nyay Yatra later.”
