If you happen to see an elderly Muslim gentleman addressing a Shiv Sena rally during the campaign for the election elections in Maharashtra, do not be surprised. It is most likely to be party chief Bal Thackeray.
"I have decided not to shave off the beard till we win the assembly elections in the state," Thackeray told the party's newspaper Saamna on Sunday during an interview in Mumbai.
Sena workers were on August 25 stumped to spot their idol sporting a white beard, a neatly trimmed fringe along the curve of his chin.
Amid peals of laughter, Thackeray had then clarified that he had not changed his religion. "I nicked myself while shaving. The doctor advised me not to shave for another week."
In Sunday's interview, he was asked if the new look is aimed at securing votes of the minority community. Had he got votes of the Maratha community when he had sported a moustache sometime in the past, Thackeray countered.
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Members of the ruling Congress-led Democratic Front alliance did not let go of this opportunity to take pot shots at Thackeray and emphasise that they would form the government again.
"We wish that the beard of Sena leader would continue to grow even after the elections," Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters.
Former deputy chief minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal said, "The beard of the Sena chief will grow further and it will be difficult to recognise him."