Uddhav Thackeray to be Shiv Sena`s CM candidate: Sanjay Raut

Zee Media Bureau

Mumbai: Shiv Sena on Thursday announced its supremo Uddhav Thackeray as the party`s CM candidate in Assembly polls to be held later this year. “Ek hi naam hai Maharashtra ke CM ke liye, Uddhav Thackeray (There is only one name for the post of Maharashtra CM – Uddhav Thackeray),” Sanjay Raut told ANI. He separately told an English news channel that the party had made up its mind on choosing Uddhav ji as the CM candidate. Raut expressed confidence that the Shiv Sena will get complete majority on its own. Denying any seat-sharing agreement with ally BJP, Raut said that the CM would be from Shiv Sena and that Uddhav will lead the next government. The announcement came after a two-day party conclave. The announcement may spoil Shiv Sena`s ties with BJP, which is asking for more seats from Uddhav Thackeray`s party for the upcoming Assembly Elections. Earlier this month, while addressing the Indian Merchants Chamber (IMC), Uddhav Thackeray had stopped short of declaring his candidature as Maharashtra’s next chief minister. “You (the IMC office bearers) wished me all the best for becoming chief minister; I may become chief minister of the state, but this is not the place and time to speak about it as the media might give some different spin to it,” Thackeray had said. However, the BJP had claimed that the CM candidate is yet to be decided. "The alliance has still not decided who the CM will be. Shiv Sena would want Uddhav to be CM but the alliance will decide unanimously," said BJP leader Vinod Tawde. Shiv Sena would contest 169 seats, leaving only 119 for BJP. Last month, MNS chief Raj Thackeray, 45, had declared that he would not only contest the Assembly Elections, but also head the government, if his party was voted to power. Nephew of the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, Raj Thackeray had quit the party in 2006 following irreconcilable differences with cousin Uddhav Thackeray, who is now the Shiv Sena president.