Supporters of a Shiv Sena MLA on Sunday protested outside the house of senior party leader Manohar Joshi at Shivaji Park here, police said.

Supporters of Sada Sarvankar shouted slogans in front of the house of the former Lok Sabha Speaker over speculation that Shiv Sena was planning to field Milind Vaidya from Dadar instead of Sarvankar, sources close to the MLA said.

Vaidya, a former Mayor of Mumbai, is a close associate of Joshi.

At the time of the protest, Sarvankar was at Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's house, 'Matoshree', to meet the sena patriarch and executive president Uddhav Thackeray.

However, a senior Sena leader said it (the protest) was being blown out of proportion.

Agitated supporters of Sarvankar turned their ire on television camerapersons who were shooting the demonstration. Several cameras were damaged by the supporters who asked them not to shoot.

So far, no case has been registered by the police against the demonstrators.

"Many people meet Balasaheb to put before the leadership the work they have done and how they are deserving candidates," the leader said when asked about Sarvankar's meeting with the Thackerays.

The party's first list of candidates is expected in a day or two. The party functionary said the candidates finalised are being informed on telephone. "The list will be made public by tonight or tomorrow," the functionary said.

The senior leader said there was resentment against Joshi after he took a soft stand on MNS president Raj Thackeray during a "meet-the-press" programme in the city last week.

... contd.