Sena offers poll ticket to ex-cricketer

The Shiv Sena plans to offer Lok Sabha candidacy to former cricketer Dilip Veng-sarkar from the Mumbai North-Central seat. The cricketer, however, is mum on whether he would accept, reports Rajendra Aklekar.

The Shiv Sena plans to offer Lok Sabha candidacy to former cricketer Dilip Veng-sarkar from the Mumbai North-Central seat. The cricketer, however, is mum on whether he would accept.

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Though a section of the media quoted Sena MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut as saying the party’s official candidate from that constituency was Dilip Vengsarkar, the Sena officially maintained there was no final decision on the issue as only an offer had been made to the veteran cricketer.

Senior party leader Manohar Joshi said in New Delhi on Friday that the party had offered Vengsarkar a ticket and that it was up to the veteran cricketer to accept or turn it down.

“Names are not announced randomly. Such decisions are taken at a higher level, in consultation with party leaders and then an official list is formally released and names declared,” said Neelam Gorhe, party spokesperson and Shiv Sena MLC.

Vengsarkar did not respond to calls despite repeated attempts.

Sources said there were talks in the party to offer Vengsarkar a seat, but no official decision had been taken yet.

Vengsarkar had, however, met Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeary several times.