Sanjay Raut named Shiv Sena chief spokesperson

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s close aide and journalist-politician Sanjay Raut has been named as the chief spokesperson of the Shiv Sena.

The 58-year-old Raut is the executive editor of Saamana, the Shiv Sena mouthpiece, and a three-time Rajya Sabha member.

Raut was groomed by the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and over the last two decades, he has emerged as the most-trusted troubleshooter of the party.

Raut is also the writer of Thackeray, a biopic about Bal Thackeray, the founder of Shiv Sena, which was released in 2019.

Raut played a key role in installing the Maha Vikas Aghadi government comprising Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress – keeping his party’s former ally, the BJP, out of power.

Besides, Lok Sabha members Arvind Sawant and Dhairyasheel Mane, Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi, Maharashtra ministers Uday Samant, Anil Parab, Gulabrao Patil, MLAs Sunil Prabhu and Pratap Sarnaik, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar and senior leader Neelam Gorhe have been nominated as the party's spokespersons.