The Hindu : National : University senate victory a booster for Sena scion

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 31, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

University senate victory a booster for Sena scion

Staff Reporter

Mumbai: Shiv Sena scion Aditya Thackeray pulled off an important political victory over his uncle Raj Thackeray in the recent Mumbai University senate elections. In a decisive outcome, the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena, the student wing of the Shiv Sena, won eight of the ten seats of the graduate constituency, including five reserved seats.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS), the student arm of Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) won the remaining two seats. The Swabhiman Sanghatana, led by Congress minister son Nitesh Rane, which had fielded candidates, drew a blank.

Closely watched

The senate polls were closely watched for the Sena-MNS contest. It was also the first challenge for the 19-year-old Aditya, a final-year student doing an Arts degree at Mumbai's St. Xavier's college. His grandfather, Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, had launched him into politics as the head of the Yuva Sena at the party's Dasara rally in October.

Aditya Thackeray had caused outrage recently by getting Rohinton Mistry's novel Such A Long Journey withdrawn from the University syllabus for containing alleged derogatory references to Mumbai's dabbawalahs — the carrier people of Maharashtra.

The senate elections were held on Sunday and the counting of votes concluded on Thursday. The Sena victory comes ahead of the Mumbai civic polls in 2012.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail