After days of dithering, rebel Raj Thackeray will formally resign from the party’s primary membership to chart an independent political course on Sunday.
MUMBAI: It's official. After days of dithering following his resignation from all party posts, rebel Raj Thackeray is all set to snap his umbilical chord with the Shiv Sena. On Sunday he will formally resign from the party’s primary membership to chart an independent political course.
Raj told DNA, “I am feeling sad, but I had no option. Only I know what I went through in the past few days.”
Conceding that a big challenge lies ahead, Raj, who hasn’t thought of a name for his new organisation yet, said he would create his own identity. “I have the conviction.”
Raj will not be alone in saying a final ‘Jai Maharashtra’ to the Sena. Hundreds of Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena members and Sena corporators are expected to follow suit. Close aide Yeshwant Killedar is already making a list of the BVS cadre across the state. The question doing the rounds on Saturday was whether Sena leaders like Shishir Shinde, Bala Nandgaonkar, and Parshuram Uparkar would also switch sides.
Even as Raj contemplates a solo political future, the Uddhav Thackeray camp continues to rule out the possibility of his expulsion, unlike with other rebels. To many, the silence at Matoshri is intriguing.
Interestingly, Raj has chosen his lucky number 9 (Sunday’s date is 18) to bid farewell to the party.
It will be a different Sunday morning for the Shivaji Park lover as he drives to the Shivaji Park Gymkhana at 10am, where he will work out his political game plan.
The news has enthused Raj’s supporters who were eagerly awaiting this move. Many of the 227 Sena shakha sanghataks are expected to throng the gymkhana early on Sunday to meet Raj. The support of the shakhas, the Sena’s grassroots, is crucial for Raj.
Through this interaction, he aims to judge the issues within each municipal ward and keep a close eye on the number of party members eager to join him.
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