assembly-elections

Updated: Jul 07, 2020 15:51 IST

Shiv Sena boss Uddhav Thackeray has clarified that son Aaditya’s plunge in electoral politics doesn’t mean that he is in exit mode from active politics. In an interview to his party’s mouthpiece, Uddhav Thackeray also spoke about the compromise that his party had made in its deal with the Bharatiya Janata Party but stressed that the Sena expected “equal” distribution of responsibilities in the new government that he said, would be formed after this month’s state elections.

Uddhav Thackeray also appeared to suggest that Aaditya, who is contesting from Worli, is not aiming to be the next chief minister or a deputy chief minister after this month’s elections. Aaditya Thackeray is the first from the Thackeray family to contest an election. His grandfather Bal Thackeray, who founded Shiv Sena in 1966, preferred to wield power through what he would describe as the remote control.

“He (Aaditya) is contesting but that doesn’t mean that he will immediately become chief minister or deputy chief minister… He wants to have some legislative experience. He is interested in that,” the Sena chief said.

But he stressed that at some point in the future, a Shiv Sainik would become the Maharashtra chief minister.

“One day, a Shiv Sainik would become the chief minister of Maharashtra, it is a promise I made to my father and Sena founder late Balasaheb,” Uddhav Thackeray said.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar responded to this prophecy from Uddhav Thackeray with a smile. Asked at a media briefing, Javadekar said the Sena leader had expressed his wish and there was certainly nothing wrong with it.

The Shiv Sena, which had started negotiations with the BJP to claim half of the assembly’s 288 seats, has come around to contesting 124 seats as compared to the BJP which will get to field 150 candidates. The remaining 14 seats have been earmarked for smaller allies. Sena leaders have indicated that the BJP has promised to let the Sena have the deputy chief minister’s post.