Jaidev says Bal Thackeray wanted him to be his political heir

Mumbai: Jaidev Thackeray, the son of the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, on Tuesday claimed before the Bombay High Court that his father wanted him to be his political heir, but he himself was not keen, while his ex-wife Smita had her own political ambitions.

He also alleged that his brother and the present Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had his (Jaidev's) name removed from the ration card in the name of the family.

Jaidev, Thackeray's estranged son, has challenged the Sena supremo's will of December 2011 which bequeaths a large chunk of the estate to Uddhav and does not give him anything.

He told the HC that as far back as 1973, during Sena's early years, he used to accompany his father Bal Thackeray to meetings.

"He always nursed a desire that I should be his political heir. But I did not cherish this and wanted to keep away from politics," he said, during the cross-examination by Uddhav's lawyer Rohit Kapadia.

"I was never interested in joining the politics because it is a different ballgame altogether," he said.

To a question, Jaidev said, "My previous wife Smita had political ambitions. I tried to reason with her that we were comfortable in our own way and I had no interest in politics. However, her involvement continued to grow.

"After my mother passed away in 1995, I told Smita we were neglecting our son Rahul and it was inappropriate for her to meet official visitors at Matoshree (the Thackeray residence)," he said.

However, Smita insisted that she wanted to pursue her career in politics, he said. "I even suggested to her that we should shift to my flat at Kalina so that we can stay as a family," he said.