In a development that will help the Shiv Sena woo Gujarati voters in Mumbai and also make an electoral foray into Gujarat, Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Tuesday shared public space with Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and announced that he would stand by the latter’s family and party in all its battles.
Addressing a joint news conference with Patel at Thackerays’ Bandra residence “Matoshri”, Uddhav said that in the forthcoming Gujarat Assembly polls, Patel would be the face of the alliance of which the Shiv Sena would be part.
“We have started to fight the elections outside Maharashtra now. We are now contesting in Goa and Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. If the people in Gujarat feel that we should the Assembly polls, we will d0 so. At that time, Hardik will be face of the alliance of which we will be a part. Whatever we can do there, we will definitely do,” Uddhav said.
Earlier, after his meeting with Uddhav, Hardik described himself as a fan of late Sena chief Bal Thackeray.