Raj Thackeray’s poll U-turn plunges MNS into confusion

MUMBAI: Raj Thackeray’s announcement that he is not keen on contesting in the upcoming assembly polls has sent shock waves through the MNS. Many in the MNS are flummoxed by what they perceive as the party chief’s hemming and hawing so close to the polls.
Thackeray had said in May that he was ready to contest the . He had also declared himself the chief ministerial candidate of his party.
He now thinks it would be better if his focus remains on the poll campaign of his party across the state instead of contesting an assembly seat.
Thackeray told mediapersons in Nagpur on Sunday that contesting an election was not of a piece with the political legacy of the Thackeray clan.
“It’s not in our genetics,” he said. “Neither my grandfather, Prabodhankar Thackeray, nor my uncle Balasaheb Thackeray ever stood for election.”
Many MNS activists was taken aback by the U-turn.
“Many party workers feel that the MNS poll prospects would improve remarkably if Rajsaheb is in the fray,” a party functionary said.