Mumbai, In a setback for Congress in Mumbai ahead of Lok Sabha polls, former Union minister <keyword id="85636" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="milind-deora" source="Orion">Milind Deora</keyword> on Sunday quit the party "to walk the path of development" and joined the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, ending a "55 years old association" of the Deora family with the Grand Old Party. With Deora resigning just before the start of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the Congress alleged that the timing of the announcement of his departure from the party was determined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for headline management to counter the yatra, and asserted that it would have no impact. The former Mumbai South MP announced his decision to resign from the primary membership of the party on social media platform X in the morning hours on Sunday. "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," Deora stated. He later went to Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi to offer prayers. In the afternoon, Deora joined the Shiv Sena in the presence of Eknath Shinde in a function at Varsha, the official residence of the chief minister. Earlier in the day, when Deora stepped out of his residence 'Ramalayam' in south Mumbai, he told reporters that he was "going to walk on the path of development". Deora, who was recently appointed the joint treasurer of the All India Congress Committee, had expressed disapproval at the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) staking a claim to the Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency which he had represented in the past. The undivided Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant, now with the Thackeray faction, had defeated Deora in the 2014 and 2019 general elections. Deora was also the head of the Mumbai Congress at one time. He is the son of party stalwart late Murli Deora. After Deora announced his resignation on X, Mumbai Congress president <keyword id="20188187" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="varsha-gaikwad" source="keywords">Varsha Gaikwad</keyword> said it was unfortunate that he had quit the party on the day when the Rahul Gandhi-led 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' commences from Manipur. Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole called it a ploy by the Bharatiya Janata Party to divert the attention from the Yatra and mocked Deora as a "twice defeated candidate". Former chief minister Ashok Chavan said Deora wanted to contest from the Mumbai South constituency but the (Maha Vikas Aghadi) alliance's understanding is that the sitting MP must not be disturbed. "The BJP was spreading rumours that the Congress will split. Now the BJP and its allies are taking along with them a twice-defeated candidate to divert attention from the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. This attempt will not be successful," Patole said. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, however, said there would be no compromise on the Mumbai South Lok Sabha seat. "Arvind Sawant is a two-time MP (of Shiv Sena-UBT). What is wrong with him contesting again? There will be no compromise on this," Raut asserted. In a swipe at BJP, NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MP <keyword id="20083020" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="supriya-sule" source="keywords">Supriya Sule</keyword> asked if the saffron party had no talent of its own. Asked about Deora's resignation, Sule said the BJP and its allies were becoming the Congress, an apparent reference to leaders from the grand old party switching allegiance to the ruling side.

Milind Deora quits Congress, joins Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde to 'walk development path'

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/45256586.cms" /> Senior <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> leader and former Union minister <keyword id="45314" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Murli-Deora">Murli Deora</keyword> passed away early this morning. He was not keeping well for quite sometime. 
 Commemorating the loss, Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> tweeted, “A dedicated leader, Shri Murli Deora’s warm nature made him popular across party lines. News of his demise is saddening. My deepest condolences to Milind Deora and his family. " 
 "One of the most amiable persons I knew. He had friends across Party Line. We shall forever miss him. Our condolences to the family," tweeted senior Congress leader <keyword id="43786" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Digvijay-Singh">Digvijay Singh</keyword>. 
 
Today, his body would be kept in Congress office in Mumbai, where people can pay their last respect from noon to 2:00 pm. Afterwards, his last rites would be performed at Chandanwadi Sonapur in Mumbai. 
 
Deora was 77 and is survived by his wife and two sons. The political leader started his political career by contesting the civic elections in Mumbai in 1975. He also served as the mayor of Mumbai from 1977 to 1978. He was the minister of petroleum and natural gas during the UPA rule. At present, he was a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Former Union Minister Murli Deora No More

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/30221309.cms" />NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister <keyword id="260213" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword> on Tuesday launched a fresh offensive against <keyword id="45442" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Reliance-Industries-Limited">Reliance Industries limited</keyword> accusing the company of creating artificial shortage of gas in the country and conspiring to raise its price. 
 Kejriwal said he has ordered the anti-corruption branch to file a criminal case against Mukesh Ambani and former <keyword id="60115" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Oil-minister">oil minister</keyword> <keyword id="45314" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Murli-Deora">Murli Deora</keyword> and present oil minister Veerappa Moily in connection with a complaint received by the <keyword id="6354952" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Delhi-Government">Delhi government</keyword> against the pricing of gas produced from the D6 block in the east coast. 
 
FIR will also be lodged against VK Sibbal, former DG hydrocarbons. 
 
Kejriwal said the anti-corruption branch had received a complaint from four eminent people against Reliance. According to Kejriwal, in the complaint it was stated that some central ministers conspired to ensure windfall gains for Reliance in the gas deal. 
 Reliance had initially agreed to supply gas to utility <keyword id="173098" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="NTPC-Ltd">NTPC Ltd</keyword> at about $2.3 per million British thermal units (mBtu) for about 17 years, Kejriwal said. 
 
But price of gas from the D6 block was fixed at $4.2 per mBtu when Deora was oil minister. 
 
The Delhi CM said there was a move to raise the price of gas from the existing $4 per unit to $8 per unit from April 1. If the rates are increased, it will lead to chaos as prices of everything will go up, he said. 
 
He said he would be writing to the Prime Minister to put on hold the order to increase the price of gas till the probe by anti-corruption branch was over. 
 
In his letter, he will also request the PM to ensure that all concerned ministries cooperate in the probe. 
 
Reacting to Kejriwal's charges, Verrappa Moily said, "I should sympathize with him,he should know how govt functions,there is certain system to fix prices." 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Kejriwal Orders FIR Against Mukesh Ambani, Moily And Murli Deora Over Gas Prices

Election 2019: Congress Candidate List for Maharashtra

Shiv Sena may have shared power with ideologically-opposite Congress for the first time, but the saffron party is known to have cosied up with it before and posters with old pictures of bonhomie between their leaders Bal Thackeray and Indira Gandhi taken in the seventies were put up in different parts of the city. Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray took oath Thursday evening at the historic Shivaji Park supported by the Congress and the NCP. Besides late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and former prime minister Indira Gandhi, NCP President Sharad Pawar also figured in the posters. Those aware of its past, the Shiv Sena, known for its firebrand Hindutva politics, seeking support of the Congress and the NCP does not come as a surprise. From backing Congress candidates in presidential polls to not fielding any contender against Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule to even tying up with ideologically opposite Muslim League, the Shiv Sena has had a history of flirting with 'frenemies'. In the assembly polls held last month, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena bagged 56, followed by the NCP (54) and the Congress (48) in the 288-member House. The Shiv Sena, founded by Bal Thackeray in 1966, in its more than five decades long journey has allied with the Congress, formally and informally. In its initial days, it was often supported directly or indirectly by many Congress leaders and its different factions. Noted political analyst Suhas Palshikar in an article in the Economic and Political Weekly writes that senior state Congress leader Ramrao Adik was present at the first ever Shiv Sena rally. Dhaval Kulkarni, the author of "The Cousins Thackeray-Uddhav and Raj and in the shadow of their Sena", said that in the 1960s and 70s, the party was mostly used by the Congress to counter influence of the Left on the labour unions in the city. The party in 1971 allied with Congress (O) and unsuccessfully fielded three candidates for Lok Sabha in Mumbai and the Konkan region. Thackeray backed the Emergency in 1977 and did not field any candidate for the Lok Sabha polls held in that year. "In 1977, it also backed Congress' Murli Deora in the mayoral polls," said Kulkarni. So much so that the party was also mocked as 'Vasantsena', the army of the then Vasantrao Naik who was the state chief minister from 1963 to 1974. Palshikar writes that in 1978, when attempts to ally with the Janata Party failed, the Shiv Sena allied with the Congress (I), the faction led by Indira Gandhi. It fielded 33 candidates for the assembly polls. All 33 lost in the anti-Indira wave. In one of the most unlikely alliances, the Sena also allied with the Muslim League. Veteran journalist Prakash Akolkar, in his book on Shiv Sena titled 'Jai Maharashtra', writes that for winning the Mumbai mayoral polls in the 1970s, Shiv Sena also allied with the Muslim League. For this, the Sena supremo also shared stage with Muslim League leader G M Banatwala at Mastan Talao in Nagpada in South Mumbai, Sena's first chief minister Manohar Joshi writes in his book 'Shiv Sena-Kal-Aaj-Udya' (Shiv Sena-Past-Present and Future). If it was used by the Congress to end the Left dominance on trade unions in Mumbai, the Sena allied with Madhu Dandavate's Praja Socialist Party in 1968. The bonhomie between the Congress and the Sena ended in the 80s after the death of Indira Gandhi and the ties between the two were not the same. The relations only deteriorated during the terms of Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and later Rahul Gandhi. Incidentally, Uddhav's son and Sena's Youth Wing chief Aditya Thackeray met Sonia on Wednesday to extend invitation to oath-taking ceremony. The mid-80's was also the time when the Sena tilted towards Hindutva and gravitated towards the BJP. The late 80s and 90s changed the character of the party which moved towards hardline Hindutuva. In the later years, the Shiv Sena, however, broke ranks from the BJP-led NDA and voted for Congress backed Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee in presidential polls. The equation between the Thackerays and the Pawars goes back to more than five decades both were fierce rivals separated by conflicting ideologies but thick friends in private life. Pawar often termed Thackeray as a large-hearted opponent. In his attacks, he would often call him 'maidyaacha pota' (sack of flour). Sharad Pawar in his autobiography 'On My Terms' writes that despite being fierce rivals, how he and his wife Pratibha would visit Matoshree for "gupshup" and dinner. He also recalls that when he was suffering from cancer in 2004, Bal Thackeray gave him a list of "several commandments" related to diet. In private, Pawar says, Thackeray addressed him as 'Sharadbabu'. In 2006, when Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule contested the Rajya Sabha polls, Thackeray did not field any candidate. "Sharadbabu, I have seen her (Sule) since she was a knee-high girl. This is a big step in her career. My party will make sure that she goes to Rajya Sabha unopposed," Pawar said quoting Thackeray's telephonic conversation with him. When Pawar asked about the BJP's opposition, the NCP President says the senior Thackeray told him, "Oh, you don't worry about Kamlabai (the BJP)". Incidentally, the NCP fielded a lightweight against Thackeray's grandson Aditya, who was the first in his family to enter electoral politics. He won by a margin of over 67,000 votes in the recent Assembly election.

Shiv Sena and Congress share power for the first time -- but they have a history of being allies despite ideological differences

Check out winning candidate list from Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections

Maharashtra Lok Sabha Election Result 2019: BJP + Shiv Sena easily beat Congress + NCP

<ul><li>Mumbai, India’s financial capital, will be going to the polls today during the fourth phase of the Indian Parliamentary election.</li><li>Out of Maharashtra’s 48 constituencies, 12 fall under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and 6 are directly in Mumbai.</li><li>The city is infamous for its low voter turnout even though it did witness a 10% increase during the last Indian general election in 2014.</li></ul>India’s financial capital Mumbai is a lucrative constituency and therefore the Bharatiya Janata Party coalition (BJP), which the regional outfit Shiv Sena is part of, is keen to retain its hold on. For a little over a year now, nearly all of the city is covered in a cloud of dust. Aside from the regular pollution, a spate of infrastructure projects like metro rail construction have been initiated by the incumbent coalition led by the BJP. There is a lot of buzz around elections in Mumbai, which accounts for 1% of India’s population <a href="https://www.census2011.co.in/census/city/365-mumbai.html">according </a>to Census 2011. The city’s two landmarks, Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE), will remain shut as the city goes to the polls during the fourth phase of the Indian <keyword id="3393746" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="General-Election-2019">general election 2019</keyword>. However, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), which includes 12 of Maharashtra’s 48 constituencies, is <a href="https://www.bloombergquint.com/in-the-news/can-mumbai-break-the-low-voter-turnout-jinx-in-2019">infamous</a> for low voter turnout — although, it did witness a 10% increase in 2014 to 52.66% from 41.40% in 2009. It is generally believed that the average Mumbaikar, as the citizens call themselves, would rather drive out of the city for the long weekend than stay back for voting. The city’s searing summer sun makes the idea of standing in queues much less compelling. 
 
 
 
 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="Low percentage has always been a matter of concern. It has been observed that there is poor voting in urban areas compared to rural areas. However, this needs to change this time. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India. We have created an environment, so voters can vote without fear." auname="Ashwini Kumar, Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer"></div>











 Those well-off, residing in growing clusters of high rises in South Mumbai, or SoBo as it is sometimes called, have little to complain about beyond bureaucracy, bad roads, and incessant traffic. There are barely any power cuts in the city. Most people even in the relatively less privileged middle class enjoy running water. However, for every one of those in Mumbai’s towering glory, there are thousands of people strewn, along the long banks of three sprawling highways heading north, in descending order of privilege — in some cases the loss of privilege is just perceived — based on their distance from SoBo. From the suburban buildings signifying various social ranks, down to the seemingly-endless shadowy slums, issues span from unemployment and insufficient salaries, to unaffordable rents and leaky roofs, to water scarcity and a crumbling state infrastructure that has been, at times, <a href="https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india-foot-overbridge-collapses-in-navi-mumbai-latets-updates-injured-killed-authorities-513954">fatal</a>. Yet, most Mumbaikars don’t vote. Ajit Ranade, one of the cofounders of Association of Democratic Reforms, told the Hindu, “Low voter awareness, voters’ apathy, agnosticism — when the candidate on the ballot does not excite or motivate the voter— and lack of registration in the young category and first-time voters are the reasons for low voter turnout.” This time, some voters in South Mumbai may go to the poll booths but rather than vote between Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant or Congress’ Milind Murli Deora, their ballot will read NOTA (none of the above). The citizens in the area <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/lok-sabha-2019/story/why-some-south-mumbai-voters-choosing-nota-1510675-2019-04-26">claim</a> that there hasn’t been any development in their region over the past 24 years. These voters are people who live in the shadows of some of the country’s richest, including the family of Mukesh Ambani. Chaos and colour Of the six constituencies in Mumbai, the most <a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/poonam-priya-dutt-battle-it-out-in-vip-constituency/764783.html">coveted</a> seat is the one in Mumbai North Central where 27 candidates are going to be battling for the crown. Running through the middle of this constituency is the western express highway, one of the country’s widest roads that is choked by traffic day in and day out. To the left of the highway is Bandra, home to many a celebrity. To the right of the same highway are areas like Kurla — once labeled the ‘dirtiest ward in the city’ — and Chandivali which are home to large communities living in slums. The political heavyweights in the fight for Mumbai North Central are Priya Dutt, the Congress candidate and, the incumbent, BJP’s Poonam Mahajan — both from political legacies. The former is the daughter of the late actor turned politician, Sunil Dutt, and the latter is BJP politician Pramod Mahajan’s daughter. Both Sunil Dutt and Pramod Mahan were iconic leaders in their own right who have left behind a legacy that has fueled their families’ political ambitions. One of the highlights of this election in Bandra is the recognition of sexual minorities as a politically important segment. Priya Dutt and Congress member, Harrish Iyer — who is also India’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-first-openly-gay-politician-joins-the-oldest-party-in-the-country/articleshow/68799862.cms">first openly gay politician</a> — met with members of the LGBT community to discuss bringing their issues into mainstream politics. The country’s biggest financial hub is also home to Bollywood.As film careers fade, some of the actors jump into politics. The star-turned-politician creating the most buzz is Congress’ candidate for the Mumbai North Seat is Urmila Matondkar — a former actress — who will be going up against Gopal Shetty, representing the Bharatiya Janata Party, who won by a landslide 540,000 votes against his opponent in 2014. Much like the rest of India, Mumbai has seen a spike in communal rhetoric in recent years. Shetty, for instance, has been under the gun for his controversial comments around <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/farmer-suicide-gopal-shetty-bjp-maharashtra/">farmer suicides</a> and <a href="https://indianexpress.com/elections/mumbai-north-christians-move-on-from-gopal-shettys-foreigners-remark-seek-development-5693223/">Christianity</a> — and he has criminal charges against him including <a href="http://citizenmatters.in/mp-candidate-gopal-shetty-mumbai-north-lok-sabha-constituency-10891">corruption</a> — this is will be Matondar’s first foray into politics who has promised to push slum redevelopment projects to improve the quality of housing. In Mumbai North Central, which is prone to debilitating floods, the Mithi river that is now made up 100% of <a href="https://www.thequint.com/explainers/mumbai-mithi-river-pollution-problem-explained">sewage</a> remains an election issue one more time. Then again, floods, unemployment, creaky infrastructure, choked roads and lungs have been among the constant concerns in India’s city of dreams. Not enough people vote, and not enough politicians care to fix the issues. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/voter-turnout-declines-in-third-phase-of-indias-lok-sabha-election/articleshow/69012785.cms">Voter turnout declines in the third and largest phase of the Indian election</a> <a href="http://v">Here’s what the second phase of the Indian general election has in store for the 11 states polling today</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/lok-sabha-election-2019-violence-bombs-and-explosions/articleshow/68837699.cms">The first phase of India's Parliamentary elections had its share of explosions, firearms, and bombs</a>

You Searched For "Murli Deora" and got 9 results

Milind Deora quits Congress, joins Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde to 'walk development path'

PTI

Former Union Minister Murli Deora No More

BI India Bureau

Kejriwal Orders FIR Against Mukesh Ambani, Moily And Murli Deora Over Gas Prices

Times Of India

Election 2019: Congress Candidate List for Maharashtra

BI India Bureau

Shiv Sena and Congress share power for the first time -- but they have a history of being allies despite ideological differences

PTI

Check out winning candidate list from Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections

BI India Bureau

Maharashtra Lok Sabha Election Result 2019: BJP + Shiv Sena easily beat Congress + NCP

BI India Bureau

This one city voting today has more people and money at stake than most others in India

Prabhjote Gill

Lok Sabha Election 2019 Candidate List for Maharashtra

BI India Bureau