01 October,2019 07:26 AM IST | Mumbai | Chetna Sadadekar
Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray announced his decision to contest the Assembly elections from Worli amid Sena leaders on Monday. Also present were his mother Rashmi and brother Tejas. Pic/Ashish Raje
It is true, after all. Aaditya Thackeray has become the first person from the Thackeray family to participate in electoral politics. Thackeray, 29, announced on Monday that he will be contesting the state Assembly elections from Worli - considered the safest seat for Shiv Sena. More so, after the Sena poached Sachin Ahir and completely discarded any possible opposition.
"If you all permit and there is consent from the present MLAs and Shiv Sainiks, I declare that I will contest this Assembly election," he said at an event in Worli called Vijay Sankalp gathering (party conclave) in the presence of other party members and the public. Tejas Thackeray, Aaditya's younger sibling, who is rarely seen in public, too was seen on sharing the stage with the Yuva Sena chief on Monday, along with their mother, Rashmi Thackeray and former and present MLAs of Worli Assembly constituency.
Thackeray, in his public address, said that even if he was contesting the Worli seat, every vote given to a Sena candidate will be a vote for him. The young leader's position in the State Secretariat, if elected, is being looked at as a boost for the party as he will be part of the decisions that will be taken from Mantralaya.Senior Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, who was present at the event, said, "Balasaheb had also decided in the past that he would not get involved in politics but he got involved in it for the betterment of the society. Now Aaditya will take it forward. He too wants to work for the people and has thus decided to contest polls." Thackeray is expected to file nomination papers on October 3.
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Recently, NCP's Sachin Ahir, former Worli MLA, joined the Shiv Sena. Sitting MLA Sunil Shinde had won the 2014 Assembly elections with a margin of 23,012 votes against Ahir (who had contested on an NCP ticket). Sena insiders said that Ahir was the vote-puller for the NCP in Worli.
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