Shalini will become first Thackeray to contest polls

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and his nephew Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray do not want to contest elections as they don’t believe in the existing democratic structure of the country. But a daughter-in-law of the family, Shalini Thackeray, has turned out to be an exception. She is going to become the first Thackeray to seek the voters’ mandate in the Lok Sabha polls this year. 

Despite being heavyweights in Maharashtra’s politics, the Thackerays are known for their involvement in politics without contesting elections. But Shalini has jumped into the poll fray with an aim to change the system. She will be an MNS candidate from Mumbai North-West. She is Raj’s cousin Jitendra’s wife. Jitendra’s grandfather Damodar was the younger brother of Bal Thackeray’s father Keshav, who was popularly known as Prabodhankar.

“I do not have any political background,” Shalini told DNA. “But since Rajsaheb formed the MNS, I have been associated with the party,” she said.

Shalini, 40, was born in a Sikh family in Uttar Pradesh. Her grandfather Bhagat Ram Talwar was a close associate to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Before joining the MNS, she was handling the family’s business. She completed her MBA from Massasuttes University in US.