Shinde eyes Aaditya’s cousin Nihar for Worli

A week ago, Aaditya dared the CM that he would contest from the latter’s home turf, Thane, after resigning from the Worli constituency.

MUMBAI: After dealing a blow to Shiv Sena last year by splitting the party, chief minister Eknath Shinde has now shifted his glance inside the Thackeray family. In response to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray’s repeated challenges to Shinde that he resign and face elections afresh, the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS) is planning to field Aaditya’s cousin Nihar from the Worli assembly constituency in the next elections.

At a wedding reception of a top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader’s son on Sunday, Nihar’s candidacy was discussed, said a source from BSS. It is believed that a few Shinde faction leaders thought that the right way forward was to field Nihar against Aaditya and turn the theme of the polls into Thackeray v/s Thackeray. (HT PHOTO)

A week ago, Aaditya dared the CM that he would contest from the latter’s home turf, Thane, after resigning from the Worli constituency.

At a wedding reception of a top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader’s son on Sunday, Nihar’s candidacy was discussed, said a source from BSS. It is believed that a few Shinde faction leaders thought that the right way forward was to field Nihar against Aaditya and turn the theme of the polls into Thackeray v/s Thackeray. This is BSS’s effort to underline that the Thackeray legacy is not vested with Uddhav and Aaditya Thackeray only.

Nihar is the son of late Sena supremo Bal Thackeray’s eldest son Bindumadhav, who died in an accident on the old Mumbai Pune Highway in 1996. Soon after his death, his family moved out of Matoshree, the Thackeray residence in Bandra east. A lawyer, he is married to Ankita, daughter of former minister and BJP leader Harshavardhan Patil.

A member of Thackeray family said Nihar nurtures political ambition and had in the past accompanied his uncle Raj Thackeray on many political functions after the latter launched Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. More recently, when Shinde launched BSS Nihar had called on him and attended the faction’s Dussehra rally. He was also invited to the function at Vidhan Bhavan on January 23 when his grandfather’s portrait was unveiled in the central hall. Nihar is representing BSS in the case of Shinde’s disqualification being heard at the Supreme Court.

The Thackerays have often complained that with Uddhav at the helm of affairs, others were being denied their due share of power. When asked about his possibility of joining BSS, Nihar simply said he will speak about it later.

While Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sachin Ahir said he was unaware of such a plan, BSS spokesperson Sheetal Mhatre said, “A call will be taken at the right time by CM Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis on who to give a ticket.”

Earlier, the Worli assembly seat was represented by Shiv Sena’s Sunil Shinde, but he made way for Aaditya. Shinde was later reinstated as member of the legislative council. Ahir, who represented the same constituency earlier, too was made member of the legislative council by the party after he joined Shiv Sena.