Capping days of speculation, the Shiv Sena on Sunday said it has decided to field Aaditya Thackeray, the elder son of party chief Uddhav Thackeray, from the Worli Assembly constituency in Mumbai.
With this, Aaditya has become the first member of the Thackeray clan ever to contest an election.
Talking to PTI, a close aide of Sena chief said, “Aaditya Thackeray’s name has been finalised for the Worli Assembly segment. Shiv Sena’s sitting MLA Sunil Shinde will vacate his place for Aaditya.”
"Worli is considered one of the safest constituencies for the Sena, hence Aaditya's candidature has been finalised. Former NCP leader Sachin Ahir had recently joined the Sena, which will make Thackeray's win easy," he said.
Ahir had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 assembly election against Sunil Shinde.
Ever since the Shiv Sena was founded by late Bal Thackeray in 1966, no member of the family had contested any election or held any constitutional post.
Uddhav's cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray had announced his intention to contest the 2014 State Assembly elections. However, he had later changed his mind.
