Amid MNS-Sena (UBT) alliance buzz, CM Fadnavis meets Raj Thackeray

Senior BJP leader Fadnavis and Raj Thackeray met at a five-star hotel in Bandra area

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and MNS head Raj Thackeray met at a hotel in Mumbai on Thursday morning.

The meeting comes amid speculation over rapprochement between Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and his politically estranged cousin Raj Thackeray, who heads the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

Senior BJP leader Fadnavis and Raj Thackeray met at a five-star hotel in Bandra area in the morning, sources confirmed but declined to elaborate.

When contacted, BJP chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said the two leaders are good friends and may have met to discuss development issues related to the state.

The Maharashtra government this week set in motion the process of holding the local body polls by issuing orders for ward delimitation for 29 municipal corporations, including Mumbai.

There has been speculation about a possible reconciliation between the Thackeray brothers ahead of the polls.

The estranged Thackeray cousins sparked the buzz with their recent statements indicating they could ignore "trivial issues" and join hands nearly two decades after a bitter parting of ways.

While Raj Thackeray has said uniting in the interest of "Marathi manoos" (Marathi-speaking people) is not difficult, Uddhav has insisted he is ready to put aside trivial fights, provided those working against Maharashtra's interests are not entertained.

Raj Thackeray extended support to the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but his party contested the state assembly polls in November last year on its own.