Whether it was hobnobbing with the rich and famous of the city or traversing the power corridors of Delhi, Congress veteran Murli Deora was never out of place. And it was his ability to leverage his contacts from the world of business and politics that made him a formidable force and a valued asset to the Congress party.
A graduate in economics, Deora built up a business using his own savings and according to some accounts even used his own money to fund his entry into politics, which began with his entry into Mumbai's civic body with the poll in 1975 mentored by the then prominent politician Rajni Patel. Starting out as a municipal corporator, Deora was Mayor of Bombay between 1977-78, a position he is said to have utilised well to further increase his sphere of influence among the rich and famous of the country's financial capital.
He never missed a funeral, he visited everyone he knew if they ever took ill and had an ability to keep in touch with friends and contacts from across various spheres that would hold him in good stead during his political career. His ability to raise funds for the Congress from Mumbai was 'legendary' by some accounts but unlike other leaders who frittered their goodwill by attempting to take advantage of it, Deora never did.
