Mumbai: Shiv Sena minister Eknath Shinde has written a letter to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, requesting that the proposed Mumbai-Nagpur expressway Samruddhi Mahamarg be named after Sena founder Bal Thackeray.

Interestingly, this is a complete U-turn for the Sena as its leadership had declared its opposition to the Samruddhi Mahamarg.

In his letter, Mr Shinde has mentioned that this is the wish of Sena workers.

“The first expressway of India, Mumbai-Pune, was an outcome of Balasaheb’s imagination and developmental orientation.

Similarly, the expressway would change the economy of Maharashtra for betterment. As Balasaheb had this great vision of connecting cities, we wish that the coming expressway be named after him,” wrote Mr Shinde, the minister of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation.