Will Aaditya Thackeray contest Maharashtra polls? 'Jan Ashirvad Yatra' sparks speculations

Speculation is rife that Aaditya Thackeray, son of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, would contest the coming Assembly elections in Maharashtra. The talk of his contesting the election was fuelled after he embarked on ‘Jan Ashirvad Yatra’ across the state with some Sena leaders projecting him as the party's chief ministerial candidate. If he takes the electoral plunge, 29-year-old Aaditya, who currently heads Yuva Sena, the youth wing of his party, will be the first Thackeray to do so. Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, Aaditya's grandfather, never contested an election. Uddhav Thackeray too has never contested polls.

While Aaditya has been non-committal, saying he would contest if "people wish so", according to Sena sources the decision would be taken by Uddhav Thackeray. If he decides to contest, the Thackeray scion is likely to choose Worli in south-central Mumbai as his assembly constituency, party sources said.

Worli, currently represented by the Sena's Sunil Shinde, is considered a safe seat since majority of corporators from the area belong to the Shiv Sena.

Meanwhile, Aaditya who has embarked on the second leg of his Jan Ashirwad Yatra, said at Udgir in Latur district that he wanted to create a Maharashtra which would be free of drought, corruption and unemployment. His yatra was meant for understanding various issues facing the state and not for seeking votes, he said.