Mumbai: Will he or won’t he? Maharashtra Navanirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray is likely to end the suspense on Monday on whether his party would contest the forthcoming Assembly polls.
The party has organised a meeting at the MIG Club in Bandra, where the MNS chief is also expected to address workers. Mr Thackeray would also meet those who are willing to contest the polls, said party insiders.
According to party sources, the MNS is likely to contest at least 100 seats in the upcoming polls. The MNS may contest seats in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Dombivli, Nashik, Pune and Marathwada, where the party has a sizeable number of supporters.
The MNS had not contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, but Mr Thackeray campaigned actively against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
He was reportedly not keen on contesting the Assembly polls, too, and had called for its boycott until the Election Commission agreed to conduct them with ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Meanwhile, the MNS is also eyeing possible dissidents from Shiv Sena and the BJP before finalising its candidate list.
“We have decided to contest the Assembly polls and the list of candidates is ready. But we are still waiting for better candidates. If we can find them, they will be accommodated in our candidate list,” said a MNS leader.
