Vote for Sena...er MNS: When Raj Thackeray Flubbed Party Symbol

Mumbai: Nine years after breaking away from the Shiv Sena, Raj Thackeray recently fumbled over his own party symbol and urged people to vote for "the bow and arrow" - the Sena's symbol - before correcting himself.

In footage from a rally a few days ago, Mr Thackeray, the chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, is seen saying, "...this election vote for dhanush...er..rail engine."

Maharashtra votes for a new government on October 15 and the results will be announced four days later.

Mr Thackeray's party was allotted the railway engine as a poll symbol in 2010 after the Election Commission recognized it as a state party.

Raj Thackeray is the estranged cousin of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. He was seen as the political heir of Sena founder Bal Thackeray. But when Balasaheb, as he was known, selected his son Uddhav as his successor, Raj left the family fold in 2005 to launch his own party, which claims an almost identical vote bank based on regional chauvinism.

Uddhav Thackeray's reported phone calls to Raj during his break-up with the BJP last month triggered speculation of a reunion. The two spoke twice in a week, but said there was nothing political about the chats.