In Shiv Sena’s Jan Ashirvaad Yatra, Aaditya Thackeray Occupies Prime Spot

The Jan Ashirvaad Yatra is also the Shiv Sena issuing a clarion call for the polls and establishing its chief ministerial aspirations.

New Delhi: Ahead of Assembly elections in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena kick-started a five-day a Jan Ashirvaad Yatra on Thursday, helmed by party chief’s son Aaditya Thackeray.

Maharashtra Assembly elections are due in October 2019. The Yatra is also the Shiv Sena issuing a clarion call for the polls and establishing its chief ministerial aspirations.

During the multi-phase Yatra, the Thackeray scion is expected to cover nearly 4000 km across Maharashtra, including Jalgaon, Dhule, Nashik, Ahmednagar districts of the northern part of the state.

The Yatra has been organised to thank those who voted for the party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and to win the trust of those who did not. According to party sources, Aaditya Thackeray aims to build a new-age relationship by establishing a direct communication link with the voters.

On the first day of the rally, Aaditya Thackeray addressed the people and remarked, “Today is the start of the beginning of an effort to take the Shiv Sena into every home in Maharashtra. Only then we can build a new Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena stands for youth, farmers and women. We are a party that brings solutions. For me, this is not a tour to seek votes. For me this is a pilgrimage. Over the years I have learnt how to find solutions from my father and grandfather,” a report in NDTV quoted.

Meanwhile, in what could be read as a sign, Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut also dropped hints of Thackeray scion progressing towards the mantle of the next Maharashtra Chief Minister.

At a Jan Ashirvaad rally on July 18, he was quoted as saying, “Aaditya should lead Maharashtra. This is the beginning of Shiv Sena’s chief ministerial journey.”

Even last month, talking to the media, Raut had said, “It depends on Uddhav Thackeray to decide whether Aaditya will contest the polls or not. But Maharashtra needs a young CM with new and vibrant ideas.”