Aaditya Thackeray, the first person from his politically powerful clan to contest an election, says he is not chasing any particular post.
“I have seen a lot of people who run behind posts and forget to enjoy the democratic process. Right now, I am enjoying the process of contesting elections, trying to win and, hopefully, win,” Thackeray told BloombergQuint in an interview.
Shiv Sena has fielded Thackeray from Worli, a seat considered safe for the party. He said he chose to contest because he wants to contribute directly through policy making. “I thought this is the best time to do so.”
Thackeray's party is already part of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena coalition in Maharashtra. But ties between the two parties have not been smooth. And the differences came to the fore after the recent protest against a metro rail car shed in Aarey Colony.
The state government has been firm in its stance that the car shed can't be moved out of the green zone. Shiv Sena, and Thackeray in particular, sided with protesters who lost the battle to save trees in the Bombay High court.
Thackeray, however, cited coalition politics and blamed the metro authority for confusion. “It is not my majority government. It is a coalition government. The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation is misguiding the other half of the government. We have done whatever we can, and we will be doing whatever we can to stop the felling of trees.”
Watch the full interview here:
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