Maha polls: After Aaditya Thackeray, tickets for other Sena leaders’ sons?

With Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya set to make his election debut, sons of some other Sena leaders, too, may get tickets.

With Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya set to make his election debut, sons of some other Sena leaders, too, may get tickets.

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While Aaditya may contest from the Worli segment, the party is exploring the option of fielding younger candidates in some areas, if they have a chance of winning. The decision is based on the data that states 72% of voters in Mumbai and 67% in Maharashtra are under the age of 42. Party functionaries said Aaditya has interacted with several younger leaders from the Sena and Yuva Sena during his Jan Ashirwad Yatra and is keen on giving tickets to fresh faces.

Yogesh, son of Sena leader and state environment minister Ramdas Kadam, got a ticket from Dapoli in Ratnagiri. He got Thackeray’s go-ahead on Sunday . “I was hopeful for a ticket. It will be a great opportunity to work with Aadityaji,” said Yogesh Kadam, who was one of the aspiring candidates who participated in the interview process held at Shiv Sena Bhavan between September 13 and September 20.

Another name doing the rounds is Amol Kirtikar, son of Mumbai MP Gajanan Kirtikar. Yogesh and Amol are both Yuva Sena functionaries, which is headed by Aaditya. Kirtikar, who contested from Kandivli East in 2014, said, “I am hopeful, but let us see what the party chief decides.”

“There are several people in the reckoning who are not a part of the Yuva Sena. District president of Parbhani Vishal Kadam and district president of Kalyan Deepesh Mhatre could also be considered,” a functionary said.

The Sena conducted interviews for aspiring candidates earlier this month, and got many applicants from rural areas, including district presidents of the party and zilla parishad members, who are under 40 years of age. “Aadityaji is a youth leader. He has been toiling hard and making inroads in Maharashtra, so some youngsters could be given tickets,” said Manisha Kayande, Sena spokesperson.