Raj Thackeray to make his electoral debut in Maharashtra assembly poll

After the drubbing his party received in Lok Sabha elections, MNS president Raj Thackeray on Saturday announced he and his party would contest the assembly elections in Maharashtra due later this year and would be the chief minister if his party got the mandate.

Nobody in the Thackeray family has ever contested an election or held any government post.

Raj on Saturday went one step further and made it clear that he would become the chief minister if his party romps home in the electoral battle.

‘People have a lot of love for and expectations from our party. If the mandate is for MNS, I will not hesitate to lead it,’ he said.

MNS, which had declared support to Narendra Modi for the Prime Minister’s post and fielded just nine candidates, mostly against Shiv Sena, in Lok Sabha polls, had suffered a wash-out. Many of its candidates even lost their deposits.

MNS had earlier announced that Raj Thackeray would be its chief ministerial candidate.

Addressing his first rally today after Lok Sabha poll rout, Raj said he would bounce back in coming assembly elections.

‘Political pundits said I am finished....but look at the crowd gathered here....does the rally have a look of a defeated party?’ he said.