Milind Deora on poll battle against Aaditya Thackeray: He’s like younger brother

Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader Milind Deora, who has filed his nomination to contest the Maharashtra Assembly polls against rival faction leader Aaditya Thackeray from Worli constituency, on Tuesday rejected the claims of being a “bali ka bakra” (sacrificial lamb) in the upcoming elections and said that he has taken up the fight to end the “speed-breaker” politics in the state.
“I don’t have any personal issues with Aditya Thackeray. I have known him since he was a young boy. I consider him like my younger brother. We have to fight against the speed-breaker politics that has unfortunately been the trend in the state in the last few years. Aaditya Thackeray is a young man,” Deora said while speaking to India Today TV.
Deora, once a Congress leader and former Union Minister of State, recently joined Eknath Shinde’s faction ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and subsequently secured a seat in the Rajya Sabha.
Shiv Sena leader launched an attack against Aaditya Thackeray, accusing him of delaying key projects in Maharashtra when his party was in power.
“He (Aditya Thackeray) came with a lot of promises, but opposed the Mahalaxmi Race Course project, which he could have delivered 11 years ago. He delayed the metro project which cost the state exchequer Rs 14,000 crore. He also delayed another important project called the Vadhvan port. He delayed the world’s biggest nuclear power plant project,” Deora said.
On his candidacy from the Worli seat, Deora said, “It is not a personal battle, but a political contest. Had my party put up an unknown face against Aaditya Thackeray, the media would have been the first one to say that we are giving them a walkover”.
Speaking about the political shifts in Maharashtra, Deora pointed out the alliance reshuffle when Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena allied with Congress, diverging from the initial Mahayuti coalition in 2019.
“In 2019, the Mahayuti government led by Devendra Fadnavis got a second consecutive term. Uddhav Thackeray, at that time, took a U-turn and joined the Congress. It was an unnatural and inorganic alliance, and they came to power. When a truck travelling at 100 kmps takes a sudden U-turn, it will topple over and this is exactly what happened in Maharashtra politics. This led to disruptions which we are seeing today. But I am sure it will settle after the elections. But, to say that it is personal is wrong. I don’t think it is personal,” he said.
Despite his six-year Rajya Sabha term, Deora, 47, is now challenging Aaditya Thackeray, son of former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, intensifying the electoral battle in Worli.
Voting for the 288-seat Maharashtra Assembly is set for November 20, with results to be announced on November 23.