Uddhav Thackeray to meet party workers, functionaries

Mumbai: Over a fortnight after his father's death, Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray will embark on a series of meetings with party workers and functionaries in Mumbai, Thane and other parts of Maharashtra.

The meetings will take place from December 3 to 16.

"Uddhav Thackeray will hold closed door meetings, half of them outside Mumbai. The meetings are a part of Uddhav's efforts to reach out to the Sena cadres," sources close to the Sena leader said on Friday.

"During the days preceding and following Bal Thackeray's demise, only about 100 to 150 people could meet him in Matoshree (his bungalow in suburban Bandra). Scores came, but could not meet their leader," the sources said.

In an attempt to re-affirm Sena's ties with rural Maharashtra, Uddhav would be addressing meetings in Kolhapur, Nashik, Ratnagiri, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Thane.

The meetings would be attended by the Sena's taluka and district heads, respective legislators and MPs and candidates during the previous elections, the sources said.

There would be no public rally.

In Mumbai, Uddhav would hold a meeting each in the six Lok Sabha constituencies, the sources said. The exercise would be over a day before completion of a month since Mr Thackeray's demise on November 17, they said.