MNS chief Raj Thackeray was greeted by party workers during his birthday celebrations at his residence

Raj Thackeray, who is the nephew of the late Bal Thackeray, founder of Shiv Sena party, was seen interacting with his party workers who had thronged his residence Shivtirth in Dadar in large numbers to wish him on his special occasion

MNS president Raj Thackeray was on Thursday re-elected to the top post in the party he founded 18 years ago, a development which comes just ahead of the state assembly polls

Thackeray's re-election as the party president, a post he has occupied since the MNS inception in 2006, was a mere formality

MNS spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande said Thackeray (55) was elected for a fresh five-year term that technically began in 2023 and will end in 2028

He said the election for party's president was supposed to be conducted on 2023, but it could not take place due to various reasons

The party then directed that organisational polls be conducted before June 30

Senior MNS leader and former MLA Bala Nandgaonkar proposed Thackeray's name for the post at a party meeting and it was seconded by another ex-legislator Nitin Sardesai

Thackeray formed the MNS after breaking away from the undivided Shiv Sena