maharashtra

Updated: Oct 26, 2019 08:52 IST

Nine years after his political launch, Aaditya Thackeray, grandson of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, stood for elections — and won — from Mumbai’s Worli constituency. He is the first member of the Thackeray family to have contested an election.

Now, the 29-year-old is at the centre of intense discussions between poll allies, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena, which won 105 seats and 56 seats in the state assembly elections, respectively. He defeated Nationalist Congress Party’s Suresh Mane by over 67427 votes — almost 70% of the total votes in the constituency. Together, the allies have comfortably crossed the half-way mark of 144 seats, but the BJP has also got 17 seats lesser than its 2014 tally, while the Sena lost seven. The Sena has used this to bring the BJP to the table to negotiate seats, portfolios and even chief ministership, say party sources.

When asked if he would want to share the CM’s post with the BJP, Thackeray said, “I believe that’s the under the purview of the party president and I wouldn’t be able to comment on something I don’t quite know about.” Asked about the key departments that the Sena would like to hold, he said,” It’ll be too soon to discuss any of this. The only intention is to serve the people and that is what we have begun already.”

The Thackeray scion is keen to be seen as having come a long way from youth Sena leader he once was. At age 20, and soon after taking up the post of the students’ wing leader, he burned Booker Prize winner Rohinton Mistry’s book, Such a Long Journey, for derogatory passages on the Sena. Now, however, party insiders said, he aims to balance the party’s pro-Hindutva identity and son-of-the-soil agenda with a more forward-looking all-inclusive image.

“As an MLA, my intent is to make Worli “A+” and of course take Maharashtra ahead. Now that elections are done with, I look forward to work with every political party and social organisation to create a better Maharashtra,” he told HT on Friday.

In an interview to Hindustan Times in July, Thackerary had said that he was not averse to contesting the polls and the reason he didn’t contest the 2014 elections was because he was a year younger than the age limit (24) stipulated to file candidature.

Though speculation is rife that Thackeray may be given either a ministerial berth or the deputy chief minister’s post, political analyst Surendra Jondhale said it is important that he gather experience of working in government before taking up a post. “With Aaditya in the assembly he will be a central figure for the legislators. He will be useful in floor management. I don’t think [incumbent chief minister] Devendra Fadnavis will be in a hurry to give him any cabinet post just yet. The Sena should not demand portfolios for him and instead go the Congress-way when Rahul Gandhi was just an MP despite successive UPA governments,” Jondhale said.

(With inputs from Eeshanpriya M S)