Congress leader Milind Deora.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Mumbai: Amid reports that senior Congress leader and former MP Milind Deora is unhappy, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has extended an open invitation to him to join the saffron party, which is part of the BJP-led NDA.
Milind Deora is son of late Congressman and seven-time MP Murli Deora.
The junior Deora is unhappy because of the differences that had surfaced within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (the I.N.D.I.A opposition bloc) over seat-sharing.
The Deora-family is very close to the Gandhi-family.
Milind Deora and his late father Murli Deora, both had been MPs from the Mumbai South, had served as President of Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) and had served as ministers in the Dr Manmohan Singh-led UPA government at different points of time.
The reports that Milind Deora is unhappy gained currency after he met his supporters on Saturday.
However, there were no official comments from Milind Deora.
Shiv Sena leader and minister Uday Samant, who is a close aide of Shinde, said that Milind Deora is welcome. “If Milind Deora works under Shinde saheb, it would surely benefit the party,” he said.
On the other hand, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar dismissed the reports. “Nothing of that sort. The opposition is spreading such news. They (BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP) know they will not get elected again,” he said.
Over the last two terms in 2014 and 2019, the Mumbai South Lok Sabha seat is represented by Arvind Sawant, a close aide of Shiv Sena (UBT) head and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is also the chief spokesperson of the party.
Before that in 2004 and 2009, the seat was represented by Milind Deora.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has been making statements that Sawant would contest the Mumbai South seat.
In a video statement around a week ago, Milind Deora made it clear that it was not proper to announce before a formal decision. “I don’t want to create any controversy or get into a debate but the spokesperson of one of the parties, which is part of the MVA, asked us (Congress) to start from zero,” he said.
Milind Deora, who is the AICC Joint Treasurer, had said: "This is a traditional seat of the Congress, and for the last 50 years, the Deora family has contested this seat. Even though I am not an MP, the Deora family is always there for the South Mumbai residents.”
Murli Deora had represented Mumbai South in 1984, 1989, 1991 and 1998.