Elections 2024: The Battle Among Milind Deora, Aditya Thackeray, and Sandeep Deshpande Heats Up

The Deora family is a politically and socially prestigious and renowned lineage in South Mumbai. Milind Deora, the candidate for the Shiv Sena from the Worli assembly constituency, hails from this same Deora family.

Milind Deora was born into the wealthy and industrially inclined Deora family in South Mumbai. His father, Murli Deora, was a four-time Member of Parliament and had previously served as the Mayor of Mumbai. The Deora family has close ties with prominent industrial families in South Mumbai. In 1999, industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani campaigned for Murli Deora, while Mukesh Ambani worked for Milind Deora's campaign.

Milind Deora won the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 and 2009 from the South Mumbai constituency and was appointed as the Minister of State in Manmohan Singh's cabinet. He has a thorough understanding of various complex topics, including urban infrastructure development, beautification, infrastructure projects, and the economy. He has consistently supported such projects in Parliament and allocated significant funds for them from his parliamentary budget. Milind Deora is recognised as an educated, articulate, cultured politician who mingles with the elite.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, many prominent leaders were defeated amid the Modi wave. The Congress party faced a massive defeat in Maharashtra as well. Milind Deora also faced defeat during this wave, with Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant winning from South Mumbai. The Modi wave persisted in 2019, leading to another defeat for Deora. By 2024, it seemed almost clear that the BJP would return to power. Milind Deora joined the Shiv Sena under Eknath Shinde's leadership a few months before the Lok Sabha elections, and he was subsequently offered a seat in the Rajya Sabha. South Mumbai is considered Milind Deora's stronghold, and even today, he has many leaders in the Congress circle who respect him. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Shiv Sena nominated MLA Yamini Jadhav, but Jadhav faced defeat amid vote polarization. There is ongoing discussion in the South Mumbai constituency that the outcome could have been different if Shinde had given Deora the ticket.

The Educated and Cultured Face of Shiv Sena

Milind Deora has also demonstrated commendable work within Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. The Shiv Sena is a party of grassroots activists. The organization consists of dedicated workers who engage directly with the public. However, there is a shortage of well-educated and responsible leaders who present the party's stance through national and international media. Milind Deora ranks high among the few leaders who are close to Shinde. He has effectively articulated the party's and the ruling coalition's positions in Hindi and English. Deora responded to the criticisms from the Uddhav Thackeray faction in a calm and composed manner, articulating the development agenda in simple terms and supporting various projects and schemes of the coalition. He is also at the forefront of advocating for Shinde's Shiv Sena on social media.

Strong Connections with Local Shiv Sainiks

Despite not being given an opportunity in the Lok Sabha elections, Milind Deora has maintained organizational contact. He regularly interacts with close associates of the MLAs in each assembly constituency in South Mumbai, as well as active Shiv Sainiks. As a Rajya Sabha member, he has been helping everyone with the powers he has received. Although he has faced consecutive defeats in the last two Lok Sabha elections, Deora still maintains a clean image. In his twenty years of political career, he has not faced any allegations, nor has he criticized anyone beyond acceptable limits. Furthermore, no one has dared to criticize him publicly. Milind Deora has consistently upheld a reputation as a cultured and refined individual.

Eknath Shinde has nominated Milind Deora for the Worli assembly constituency in the 2024 elections. Worli is the constituency of Uddhav Thackeray's son, Aaditya Thackeray. To facilitate Aaditya Thackeray's candidacy in 2019, Uddhav Thackeray inducted former minister and NCP leader Sachin Ahir into the Shiv Sena. Kishori Pednekar, who is based in Worli, was given the mayoral position, and Ashish Chemburkar from Worli was appointed as the chairperson of the BEST committee. Sunil Shinde, a Shiv Sainik MLA who has worked at the grassroots level to strengthen the party, was promised a position in the Legislative Council. Given the BJP's alliance, Aaditya Thackeray's victory was certain. Now, Milind Deora has been given an opportunity in the same constituency.

Division of Marathi Votes Favors Deora

In the past five years, Aaditya Thackeray has not received significant attention in Worli. In the Lok Sabha elections, Mahavikas Aghadi candidate Arvind Sawant won the Worli assembly constituency by a mere five to six thousand votes. Due to the resolution of issues faced by the fishing community in the Coastal Road project, the local fishermen have rallied behind Eknath Shinde. Milind Deora has an excellent image among the affluent and middle-class residents of Worli. A substantial number of voters who align with the BJP reside in this constituency. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has fielded Sandeep Deshpande, a seasoned political warrior, in the same constituency. Consequently, it appears that the division of hardcore Marathi votes may work in favor of Milind Deora.