Urmila Matondkar after casting her vote. Matondkar had lost her maiden elections (File/ Express photo by Prashant Nadkar)Expressing her disappointment over the resignation of Milind Deora as Mumbai Congress chief, party leader Urmila Matondkar Monday called him a “ray of hope” while warning that the party would have to cover a lot of ground in very little time ahead of the Assembly elections.
“Disappointed by the resignation of @milinddeora who was a ray of hope for Mumbai Congress and changes to come for future betterment. We have lot to be done and very little time,” the actress tweeted.
Congress lost all the five seats in Mumbai in the general elections. Matondkar contested her maiden election from Mumbai North Parliamentary constituency and lost.
Disappointed by the resignation of @milinddeora who was a ray of hope for Mumbai congress and changes to come for future betterment. We have lot to be done and very little time.
— Urmila Matondkar (@OfficialUrmila) July 8, 2019
On Sunday, Deora resigned as the Mumbai Congress chief to “play a national role to help stabilise the party.” Deora’s resignation, ahead of the Congress’ Working Committee meeting, followed the formal resignation of Rahul Gandhi as party president over the party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha elections.
Deora said his resignation was to show solidarity with Rahul. “Although I was made the president of the Mumbai Congress on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections, barely one month before polling day, and had very little time to repair the damage done to the organisation in terms of its moving away from the Congress party’s multi-cultural, multi-lingual ideals… I still feel after meeting Rahul Gandhi on June 26 that, in the spirit of collective responsibility, I should resign,” he told The Indian Express.
Deora’s predecessor Sanjay Nirupam immediately hit out at him. “The idea to appoint 3 member committee to run Mumbai Congress in place of President is not at all appropriate. It will ruin the party further,” he tweeted.
He also took a jibe at Deora, saying, “Here a national level position is being sought the next moment. Is this a resignation or a ladder to climb up to the top? The party should be cautious with such ‘hard-working’ people”. Deora had replaced Nirupam as the Mumbai Congress chief in March.
