Pune: MILIND Deora, two-time Congress MP from South Mumbai, has dumped the Congress and decided to join Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Deora will join the Shiv Sena in the presence of the Chief Minister in Mumbai today.
Milind Deora’s timing to join Shiv Sena comes just minutes before Congress’ biggest star Rahul Gandhi is set to launch his Second Yatra from Manipur, the most troubled state of India, in the recent times.
Deora family has been part of the Congress for 55 years. His father, Murli Deora, who served as Minister in the Congress Government at the Centre.
The main reason for Milind Deora joining Shiv Sena is the fact that he will not get a chance to fight the election from South Mumbai. This is because the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has laid claim to the seat. The Uddhav Sena is part of the INDIA bloc. Arvind Sawant of the Uddhav Sena had won the South Mumbai twice and therefore the Sena has refused to give up the seat.
”There is no question of giving up the seat which we had won in the past. This is the criteria set in INDIA bloc. Anyone who had won the seat in the past gets to contest the seat again,” said Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut.
Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said Deora was not going to get the ticket to contest the Mumbai seat and therefore he has left the Congress.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said,”Murli Deora, father of Milind Deora, was part of the Congress for years. He never left the Congress.”
Varsha Gaikwad, Congress MLA from Mumbai said,”We tried to persuade Milind Deora not to leave the Congress. We had been in touch with him. It is said that he is leaving the party at a time when Rahul Gandhi is set to launch his Second Yatra.”