Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray made history on Thursday by becoming the first member of his family, which has led the party since its birth, to contest in an election. Aaditya filed his nomination for the seat of Worli in Mumbai, which will vote with the rest of Maharashtra on October 21.
The Shiv Sena held a massive roadshow for Aaditya, who is 29 years old, as he travelled to file his nomination papers at the district collector's office. He was accompanied by his father Uddhav Thackeray, the current chief of the Shiv Sena.
Before he set out for the roadshow, Aaditya paid homage to Bal Thackeray, his late grandfather and the founder of the Shiv Sena. He posted a photograph of him bowing before an image of Bal Thackeray. Since entering politics a decade ago, Aaditya has been projected as a future leader of the Shiv Sena and as a suave, urbane face of the party.
Before filing his nomination, Thackeray told a TV new channel, “Maharashtra will soon see a Shiv Sena chief minister..."
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The Shiv Sena has been vocal in projecting Aaditya as a potential candidate for chief minister, if the party won the most number of seats in the Assembly polls. The BJP has been insisting that incumbent Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis would continue if the saffron combine won the polls. Fadnavis was expected to join the roadshow for Aaditya's nomination, but did not arrive. However, he wished Aaditya via phone, media reports claim.
Aaditya's uncle, Raj Thackeray, who had broken away from the Shiv Sena to form the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, had declared he would contest the 2014 Assembly polls, but backed out subsequently.
