Milind Deora replaced by Salman Soz in Congress post, could get Delhi role

india

Updated: Sep 14, 2019 11:06 IST

Nearly a week after veteran leader Eknath Mahadev Gaikwad replaced him as the Mumbai Congress president, former union minister Milind Deora was on Friday night removed as the vice-chairman of the All India Professional Congress (AIPC).

Salman Soz, son of ex-union minister and former Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Saifuddin Soz, has been appointed in his place.

The party also named Rajiv Arora as AIPC regional coordinator for west zone.

Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor heads the AIPC.

The appointment comes weeks ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections, due in October-November. The Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combine is struggling to dethrone the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena coalition in the upcoming polls.

Deora, 42, had expressed his desire to step down shortly after meeting Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on June 26 and had conveyed this to party general secretaries Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal.

The former union minister had then said that he was looking forward to play a role at the national level to help stabilise the Congress party.

“I had accepted the position in the interest of the party. I felt I should also resign after meeting Rahul Gandhi. I also suggested a panel and am being consulted by leaders to identify names. I look forward to playing a national role to help stabilise the party,” he had said.

Deora was appointed the Mumbai Congress president on March 25, replacing Sanjay Nirupam. His appointment was then seen as a bid to quell the intense infighting within the Mumbai Congress.

A Congress leader said Deora, considered close to Rahul Gandhi, could be given an important organisational role at the national level.