Aaditya Thackeray reaches out to city professionals

The Sena has started a townhall-style interactive programme, ‘Aaditya Sanwad’, to connect with the youth. Party functionaries said these events are being planned to build the Thackeray scion’s image and also to reshape the image of the Shiv Sena into a modern, progressive political party.

Ahead of the state Assembly elections, the Shiv Sena is reaching out to celebrities, activists, entrepreneurs, sports personalities through its youth leader Aaditya Thackeray to seek their views on the challenges and changes needed in the state and Mumbai.

Shiv Sena deputy leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said the platform was created for professionals, who wish to participate in policies for their fields. (HT image)

‘Friends of Aaditya Thackeray’, an outreach programme for professionals, kicked off on Sunday evening in Bandra, to involve citizens to shape new Maharashtra, Sena leaders said. With the 28-year-old Thackeray likely to take the electoral plunge, he is seen to be building a support base in rural and urban areas, through his statewide Jan Ashirwad Yatra and other such programmes in urban areas.

Shiv Sena deputy leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said the platform was created for professionals, who wish to participate in policies for their fields. “The event is for professionals from all walks of lives, who cannot participate full-time in politics, but align with the views of Aaditya Thackeray and wish to collaborate and ideate with us. We are creating a platform across Maharashtra for professionals to come on board,” Chaturvedi, who was present at the event on Sunday evening in Bandra, said.

The Sena has started a townhall-style interactive programme, ‘Aaditya Sanwad’, to connect with the youth. Party functionaries said these events are being planned to build the Thackeray scion’s image and also to reshape the image of the Shiv Sena into a modern, progressive political party.

Rahul Kanal, Yuva Sena core committee member, said Thackeray took questions and suggestions on policies for start-ups, automobile industry, tapping the potential of Maharashtra through tourism and increasing tourism in Mumbai through its nightlife. “Going forward, these ideas and suggestions could become a part of the manifesto or a part of policy making. Some can be implemented immediately,” Chaturvedi said.

Chaturvedi said the event will not be driven politically like ‘Aaditya Sanwad’. “Aaditya Thackeray talks about ‘citizens first’, so we wanted to involve them directly. The initiative does not cater to the masses, but is more about the idea of change and participative governance,” she said.

The initiative will be held next in Pune, while Mumbai will see a programme for urban planners and smaller chapters of ‘Friends of Aaditya Thackeray’ will be held in different areas of Juhu, Kandivli and Goregaon.

Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray on Monday started his tour of flood-hit Maharashtra, from Konkan’s Sindhudurg district. He is on a three-day tour of Konkan and western Maharashtra which was ravaged by floods earlier in the month. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will visit Kolhapur and Sangli districts on Tuesday.

Thackeray reached Maneri village in Dodamarg, Sindhudurg on Monday morning and inspected flood-relief measures. Flanked with Sena MP from Ratnagiri Sindhudurg Vinayak Raut, guardian minister and local MLA Deepak Sawant and Sachin Ahir, he distributed cooking supplies and other essential relief material to the flood-affected people in the area. On August 20 and August 21, he will visit Kolhapur and Sangli districts, where around five lakh people were displaced in the floods around a fortnight ago.