Rajya Sabha elections 2024: Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena nominates Milind Deora

Milind Deora and CM Shinde. File Pic/Shadab Khan

The Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday nominated former Congress leader Milind Deora as its candidate for the coming Rajya Sabha election, 2024 party sources said, reported the PTI.

Milind Deora, a former Union minister had joined the Maharashtra CM Shinde-led Shiv Sena only last month, as per the PTI.

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While he has been a two-time Lok Sabha member from Mumbai, this will be Milind Deora's first election for the Upper House.

Meanwhile, last month, hours after announcing that he resigned from the basic membership of the Congress party, Milind Deora had joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

In a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, the former South Mumbai Lok Sabha MP had said, "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."

Milind Deora, who was recently appointed the joint treasurer of the All India Congress Committee, had expressed disapproval at the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena laying claim to the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat.

The undivided Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant, now with the Uddhav Thackeray faction, had defeated Milind Deora in the 2014 and 2019 general elections.

After joining Shiv Sena, Milind Deora said this is a very emotional day for me. "I had never thought that I would quit Congress. I left my 55 years of association with Congress to join the leadership of Eknath Shinde ji," he had said.

"Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is available for all. He is a person who is completely grounded...Modi ji and Amit Shah ji's vision for the country is very big, and therefore I want to join them," he had added.

While emphasizing his commitment to Congress, Milind Deora said that he remained loyal to the party during its most challenging decade.

"I have been receiving a lot of phone calls since morning asking why I severed 55-year-old ties of my family with the Congress party. I was loyal to the party during its most challenging decade. Unfortunately, today's Congress is very different from the Congress of 1968 as well as that of 2004. Had Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) given importance to constructive and positive suggestions, Eknath Shinde and I wouldn't have been here. Eknath Shinde had to make a major decision, I had to make a major decision," Deora had said.

Milind Deora explained why he decided the quit the Congress severing the ties of decades. Milind said the Congress his father joined was different from present-day Congress as their focus now is to only oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The former Congress leader said that he believes in the politics of GAIN - Growth, Aspiration, Inclusivity, and Nationalism.

(with PTI inputs)