Another Setback For The Congress As Milind Deora Quits Party
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2024-01-15 09:36:30
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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack
View all posts by this Author
Another wicket is down for the Congress even as Rahul Gandhi embarks on Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0 and Mallikarjun Kharge assumes charge as chairperson of the I.N.D.I.A alliance. Senior Maharashtra leader Milind Deora, who was recently appointed AICC joint treasurer, ended his family's 55-year-old association with the party by resigning from the primary membership on Sunday morning. Later in the day, he joined Shiv Sena (Shinde). It seems that although Deora was miffed with the party ever since the MVA government fell in the state, the immediate trigger for the resignation was the Shiv Sena (UBT) claim over Mumbai South Lok Sabha seat from where Deora contests. Since the Congress did not refute the claim, Deora thought he will not get nominated for the seat.
Deora has always contested from Mumbai South. Before him, his father Murli Deora represented the constituency in 1984, 1989 and 1991. Milind Deora won the seat in 2004 and 2009. But he lost in 2014 and 2019 to Arvind Sawant of the undivided Shiv Sena. This time around Deora must have fancied his chances as the Sena is divided. He was not satisfied with the seats offered to him during the seat-sharing talks. But Shiv Sena (UBT) was adamant that since Sawant was winning from Mumbai South for two consecutive terms, the party will not relinquish its claim on the seat just to please Deora.
With Deora's exit, almost all the young Turks, expect Sachin Pilot and Gaurav Gogoi, who once comprised Rahul Gandhi's babalog brigade have left the Congress. Altogether more than a dozen prominent leaders, including celebrated new entrants like Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakore, have quit the Congress party in a year. The party has been considerably weakened in some states, especially Gujarat and MP, due to these exits. Deora's exit will also take its toll in the Congress party in Mumbai. While state Congress president Nana Patole and legislature party leader Balasaheb Thorat termed it a 'bad omen', Mumbai party chief Varsha Gaikwad called it 'unfortunate'.
