Aaditya Thackeray to contest from Worli; first from family in poll arena
Mumbai, Sep 30: Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray, the elder son of party chief Uddhav Thackeray, on Monday said he will contest the October 21 Assembly elections.
Aaditya made the announcement at a party rally here.
He will become the first member of the Thackeray clan ever to contest an election.
Aaditya said he will contest from the Worli assembly segment in Mumbai. Shiv Sena's sitting MLA Sunil Shinde will vacate his place for Aaditya.
"I am sure of victory as I have the blessings of you all," he told the gathering.
"Worli is considered one of the safest constituencies for the Sena, hence Aaditya's candidature has been finalised.
Former NCP leader Sachin Ahir had recently joined the Sena, which will make Thackeray's win easy," a Sena source said.
Ahir had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 assembly election against Sunil Shinde.
Ever since the Shiv Sena was founded by late Bal Thackeray in 1966, no member of the family had contested any election or held any constitutional post.
Uddhav's cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray had announced his intention to contest the 2014 state assembly elections. However, he later changed his mind.
The Shiv Sena has been projecting Aaditya as the chief ministerial face if the Sena bags the highest number of seats in the next month's Assembly polls.
Uddhav Thackeray had on Saturday recalled the "promise" he had made to his late father Bal Thackeray to install a 'Shiv Sainik' (party worker) as the chief minister of Maharashtra.
His statement had come against the backdrop of the BJP top brass repeatedly stressing that incumbent Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis would helm the state once again.
In July, Aaditya launched a state-wide 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' to thank the electorate for their support in the last Lok Sabha polls and to seek their backing for the upcoming Assembly elections.
In the 2014 Assembly elections, the BJP and the Sena had contested separately over a dispute over sharing of seats.
The BJP won maximum 122 out of 260 seats it had contested while the Sena bagged 63 out of 282 seats.
After the BJP formed the government in October 2014, the Sena joined it in December the same year.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka fast-tracks investment approvals, cuts red tape across key clearances: Minister Patil
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Saturday said the state government has fast-tracked approvals for investment projects and taken measures to cut red tape.
He said that since 2022, Karnataka has approved 2,028 projects worth Rs 5.11 lakh crore, which could create 7.16 lakh jobs.
Of these, Rs 69,564 crore has already been realised, generating 1.06 lakh jobs, he added.
“Karnataka fast-tracks approvals, cuts red tape,” the Minister for Large & Medium Industries said.
“Clear results of our government’s push to speed up approval processes are now evident. Not only have investment agreements been secured, but effective implementation is also underway,” he said in a post on X.
He added that simplified and swift approval processes are boosting investor confidence and providing greater impetus to industrial growth across the state.
“Karnataka’s investment-friendly environment is further strengthened by its culture of ease of doing business,” he said.
Noting that Karnataka is fast-tracking approvals and aligning departments and districts for on-ground delivery, the minister said: “We have overhauled 18 key approvals, cutting land use change clearance time from 120 to 45 days, fire NOC from 60 to 21 days, factory plan approvals from 30 to 14 days, and electrical approvals to just 10 days.”
In a competitive landscape, Karnataka is acting decisively to ensure faster decisions, fewer delays, and a truly pro-industry ecosystem, he added.
