Senior Congress leader Milind Deora ended his “family’s 55 year relationship with the party” on Sunday before joining the Shiv Sena. Reports quoting sources indicate that several supporters within the party are also likely to follow Deora to the ruling Shiv Sena. The former South Mumbai Lok Sabha MP joined the ruling party during a function in Varsha, the official residence of the chief minister, in the afternoon.
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“Today marks the conclusion of a significant chapter in my political journey. I have tendered my resignation from the primary membership of the Congress, ending my family’s 55 year relationship with the party. I am grateful to all leaders, colleagues and karyakartas for their unwavering support over the years,” the politician had tweeted on Sunday morning.
Congress leaders however attributed the sequence of events to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led ruling faction.
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Visuals shared online showed Deora arriving at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s official residence on Sunday afternoon. He joined the ruling party in the CM’s presence in Mumbai.
“I have heard about his move. If he is joining the party, I will welcome him,” the Maharashtra Chief Minister said earlier on Sunday.
Deora was upset over the past few days after Shiv Sena (UBT) laid claim to the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat, which he had represented earlier. According to sources close to the politician, he had resigned after “a very long and futile wait”.
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The former Lok Sabha MP reportedly failed to get an assurance from his own (former) party about contesting from Mumbai South in the upcoming general election — a seat represented by his family for decades. It is pertinent to note that Deora had been defeated from the seat by undivided Shiv Sena candidate Arvind Sawant. The latter is now a member of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) which is allied with the Congress and NCP as part of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi.
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“The Shiv Sena UBT has been openly laying claim to Mumbai South and the Congress was unable to give an assurance of safety for Milind Deora’s seat. A young leader’s political future was thrown into uncertainty and there was no redressal,” Deora’s aides told PTI.
