Uddhav Thackeray asks Sena workers to prepare for Maharashtra Assembly polls

Mumbai, June 2: Shiv Sena president

has asked his party workers to unfurl the saffron flag atop

Secretariat to fulfil the dream of late Bal Thackeray.

However, Uddhav refrained from mentioning Narendra Modi even once in his 12-minute long speech.

Uddhav, who addressed a "jallosh" (victory celebration) rally of party workers and 18-newly elected Sena Lok Sabha members in suburban Andheri last night, said the next target would be state Assembly polls due in four months. He attributed poll success to the vision of late Thackeray but did not mention Modi even once in the speech.

He also refrained from commenting on his cousin, MNS chief Raj Thackeray's decision to contest the assembly elections and was silent on the chief ministerial candidate issue too.

Promising to turn Mumbai into a global city, Uddhav said Sena would help streamline Mumbai's infrastructure projects. Sena veteran Manohar Joshi, who was booed off stage at the party's dusehra rally last year by its workers who were upset with him for questioning Uddhav's leadership, was present on stage.

Though Uddhav did not speak about his contesting Assembly poll or chief ministerial ambitions, media reports quoted party spokesperson Sanjay Raut as saying that the Sena president would be nominee for the CM's post.

PTI