Uddhav bats for 'Sena CM'

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday admitted that he compromised on the seat-sharing pact with the BJP for the Maharashtra polls on October 21 but insisted that it was "for the welfare of the state".

The Sena had been pressing for at least 135 seats during months of wrangling with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but later settled for 124 and two seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council from the saffron party's quota.

In an interview to Sena's mouthpiece Saamana, Thackeray said he had shown "maturity" in dealing with the alliance.

Thackeray also spoke about his son taking the plunge into electoral politics, adding that it does not mean he is retiring.

"Aaditya contesting the Assembly election does not necessarily mean I am retiring from active politics. I am very much around," he said. "I am not going to do farming," he said sarcastically, in an apparent reference to NCP leader Ajit Pawar who recently resigned as an MLA and advised his son to prefer farming or business over politics.

Uddhav expressed confidence that a Shiv Sainik will assume the top post in the State and said that he made this promise to his father and Sena founder late Bal Thackeray.

He also claimed that in 2014, when the Sena and BJP snapped ties ahead of the Assembly polls, his party put a check on the 'Modi wave' which had swept the country.