Poster outside Matoshree projects Aaditya Thackeray as next Maharashtra CM

The poster appeared on a day, when at least one newly-elected Shiv Sena MLA said he would want to see Aaditya occupy state’s chief minister’s post in a power-sharing arrangement with ally, the BJP.

Son of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya, is being projected as the next chief minister of Maharashtra in a poster put up outside their Mumbai residence on Saturday.

Shiv Sena Leader Aditya Thackarey shows the victory sign to his party workers, after winning his first assembly election from worli in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, October 24.(Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

The poster appeared on a day, when at least one newly-elected Shiv Sena MLA said he would want to see Aaditya occupy state’s chief minister’s post in a power-sharing arrangement with ally, the BJP.

“Chief Minister of Maharashtra only Aaditya Thackeray,” said the poster put outside Matoshree- the Bandra residence of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

On Friday, a similar poster had come up in Worli constituency—won by Aaditya Thackeray by close to 70 thousand votes in his maiden electoral contest.

The poster feeds into Sena MLAs demand, for a party candidate to share the chief ministerial position with the BJP, raised in a meeting with Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday.

Uddhav had himself indicated on Thursday that the BJP didn’t have an automatic claim to the CM position this time and that he was prepared to make some hard decisions in order to grow Shiv Sena.

Shiv Sena MLAs on Saturday clearly formulated party’s desire by insisting BJP adhered to a power-sharing deal allegedly struck with Sena before the April-May general elections.

Shiv Sena legislator Pratap Sarnaik said that Udhhav Thackeray should get written assurance from the alliance partner BJP that they will get a chance to run the government for a 2.5-year term each.

“All the legislators have decided to give all the powers to make decision to Uddhav ji. It was decided that the central leadership of the BJP should honour the pact of 50:50 power sharing agreement, including the split of CM post. We want it in writing from the BJP,” Sarnaik said

PTI said Sarnik also said that he wanted to see Aaditya become the chief minister.

“We want to see Aaditya Thackeray as the next chief minister. But Uddhavji will take the final decision,” the news agency quoted the Thane MLA as saying.

Aaditya is the first from the Thackeray family to contest and win an election and was widely seen as a possible candidate for the deputy CM’s position before the polls.

The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won the Maharashtra assembly polls with Sena winning 56 out of the 124 seats contested and the BJP winning 105 out of the 164 seats it fought.