Milind Deora blames UBT Alliance for Congress’s loss in Maharashtra Elections

NEW DELHI: Congress-turned-Shiv Sena leader Milind Deora, after losing the Worli constituency in Mumbai to Aaditya Thackeray, son of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, took to social media to express his discontent.

Deora attributed Congress’s broader struggles and loss in Maharashtra to the party’s earlier alliance decisions with Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’s (UBT) faction during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government.

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In a pointed tweet, Deora remarked, “In 2019, I warned against allying with UBT, knowing it would hurt the party in the long term. For 12 MVA ministerial berths & short-term gains, Congress sacrificed everything.” Highlighting the consequences, he noted that many of those ministers were defeated in the recent polls.

For those asking my reaction to Congress’s bitter defeat:

In 2019, I warned against allying with UBT, knowing it would hurt the party in the long-term. For 12 MVA ministerial berths & short-term gains, Congress sacrificed everything.

The irony? Many of those ministers lost…

— Milind Deora | मिलिंद देवरा ☮️ (@milinddeora) November 24, 2024

In his reply, Twitter user Sundeep (@ssingapuri) attributed the declining fortunes of Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of Shiv Sena (UBT) to a calculated strategy by NCP chief Sharad Pawar. Sundeep wrote, “Well bro, to the best of our knowledge, this was Sharad Pawar’s strategy. But if you see in hindsight, he has ensured Uddhav will never return to Maharashtra again. He has been demolished and wiped out. 17 of his MLAs (except Aaditya) will defect shortly as they know there is no future left with them.”

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The high-stakes battle for Worli saw Aaditya Thackeray retaining his seat with 63,324 votes, trouncing Deora, who garnered 54,523 votes. Despite Deora’s high-profile entry into the Shiv Sena, the constituency remained loyal to Thackeray, with Aaditya enjoying substantial public support in this Shiv Sena bastion.

Milind Deora previously served as a Union minister and was a long-standing member of the Congress party before switching to the Shiv Sena in January this year. Deora has also represented the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat, which includes the Worli constituency, in the past.