Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj
Thackeray on Sunday announced the first list of his party`s
candidates for the Mumbai, Thane, Pune and Nashik municipal
corporation elections here.
Addressing a press conference, Raj said the lists for
Nagpur, Solapur, Amravati, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Ulhasnagar and
Akola would be declared at the local level soon.
He released the list of 208 candidates out of the 227
wards in Mumbai, 138 out of 152 in Pune, 115 out of 122 in
Nashik and 115 out of 130 in Thane.
MNS had held a written examination and interviews for
selecting the candidates. "My apologies to all those who could
not be accommodated," Raj said.
When asked about his strategy for Mumbai polls and if he
would extend support to any other party if MNS was offered the
mayor`s post, Raj said, "I will select my party`s mayor for
myself and not others," without clarifying whether he would
enter into any alliance post-election.
To a question on whom he considered as his main rival
between the Congress-NCP and Sena-BJP-RPI alliances, Raj said
his focus was solely on winnig the municipal polls. As to
whether MNS would contest the Zilla Parishad and panchayat
samiti elections, he answered in the negative.
Condemning the attack on The Times of India building by
Shiv Sena workers yesterday, Raj said it reflected a "defeated
mindset".
Without naming Shiv Sena and its mouthpiece `Saamna`, Raj
said, "They can abuse anybody in their newspaper. But (they
expect) nobody should write anything against them. How is that
possible?"
Asked for his response to Union Agriculture Minister
Sharad Pawar`s statement that he did not intend to contest the
2014 Lok Sabha polls, Raj said, "If I remember correctly, he
had made a similar statement before the 2009 elections. He
then contested from Madha and not (his traditional seat)
Baramati."
PTI
