Raj Thackeray to skip swearing-in ceremony, plans a fortnight long outreach programme

Thackeray has claimed that he will prefer watching the function on television. His associates have meanwhile claimed that he would leave for Ahmednagar via road on Friday morning and will visit the site of the murder on Saturday. Three members of a Dalit family were murdered and their bodies mutilated in Javkhede village in Ahmednagar district. Political leaders mainly from the opposition have been making a beeline to the village to demand action against perpetrators of the crime.

After a drubbing in the Maharashtra Assembly elections MNS President Raj Thackeray who had been lying low for the past fortnight has decided to reactivate his party machinery. He will also kick of a party outreach programme which will see him visit Kalyan Dombivali, Nashik, Aurangabad and Pimpri Chinchwad. The MNS was expected to get electoral returns from these areas however er all the candidates put up by the party suffered a loss. Thackeray will be taking a review of these constituencies and will also try to smoothen the ruffled feathers of many disgruntled party leaders and workers.

Thackeray has already started to speak about farmers issues. In an apparent attempt to strengthen his rural base Thackeray had on Wednesday written a letter to the Governor seeking increased price for sugar cane farmers.

Thackeray is trying to revive the MNS which floundered miserably in the Assembly elections winning only one seat. There is also dissension in his ranks with senior leaders like Pravin Darekar being unhappy with his style of functioning.