Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena to field Milind Deora as candidate for Rajya Sabha elections: Sources

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is likely to field Milind Deora, who recently switched from Congress severing decades-old family ties with the grand old party, as its Rajya Sabha candidate for the upcoming Biennial election.

As per Shiv Sena sources, Milind Deora will file his nomination tomorrow.

However, an official announcement from the party is still awaited.

Deora was elected to Lok Sabha in 2004 and 2009 but lost the consecutive general elections in 2014 and 2019.

Deora, the son of late Congress veteran leader Murli Deora, quit the party on January 14, alleging that it had deviated from its ideological and organisational roots.

After joining Shiv Sena, Deora said, "This is a very emotional day for me. I had never thought that I would quit Congress. Today, I joined Shiv Sena."

While emphasising 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 that why did I sever 55-year-old ties of my family with 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 UBT given importance to constructive and positive suggestions and merit and capability, Eknath Shinde and I wouldn't have been here. Eknath Shinde had to make a major decision, I had to make a major decision," he said.

Along with Deora, Sunil Narsale, Hansa Maru, Rambachan Murai, Pramod Manjrekar, Anita Yadav, Gajendra Lashkari, Ramesh Yadav, Prakash Raut joined Shiv Sena.

With the series of exits from the Congress party, it has been a major blow to the grand old party in Maharashtra.

Recently former CM Ashok Chavan quit the party and joined BJP on Tuesday.

However, the Congress has said that the exit of leaders will not have any impact on the upcoming Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha elections and that the party will come back strongly.