Lok Sabha elections 2024: Resignations of the 'powerless’ and a Congress that keeps disappointing

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Milind Deora was part of the youthful cohort who were considered close to Rahul Gandhi. Among those were Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, RPN Singh and Jitin Prasada. Except for Sachin Pilot, the remaining members of this cohort have either joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or aligned themselves with other political affiliations.

But one thread that bound them together is the "disagreements" they have had within the Congress. Currently a Union minister in the NDA alliance government, Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the Congress in March 2020 with 22 MLAs and joined the BJP, precipitating the collapse of the Kamal Nath-led government in Madhya Pradesh and making way for the saffron party to take over the reins. After the resignation, Jyotiraditya Scindia said he couldn't take the "disrespect" anymore.

In 2019, Jyotiraditya Scindia lost Guna seat to BJP's Krishna Pal Singh Yadav. Jyotiraditya Scindia's resignation came at a time when the young leader was serving as General Secretary in-charge for Uttar Pradesh West. Milind Deora left the Congress on January 14 and joined Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena for "development".

Breaking the 55-year-old ties that his father Murli Deora nurtured over the years, Milind Deora justified his decision, alleging that the Congress had deviated from its ideological and organisational roots, "fostering" caste divisions, and targeting businesses. The bone of contention was reportedly the Mumbai South seat which is currently being held by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Arvind Sawant. Milind Deora has lost the Mumbai South constituency in 2014 and 2019 to Arvind Sawant twice.