Uddhav Thackeray on possibility of Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS alliance: ‘Whatever people of Maharashtra wish…’

Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray (PTI/File)

Uddhav Thackeray, chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), on Friday placed the onus on the people of Maharashtra to decide whether his party should ally with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), headed by his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray.

"Whatever people of Maharashtra wish will happen," Uddhav Thackeray told reporters in Mumbai, according to news agency PTI.

The former chief minister insisted there was no confusion in the minds of workers of both parties about an alliance.

His statement comes amid rising speculation over a potential alliance between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS, a party Raj Thackeray founded in 2006 after parting ways with the Shiv Sena.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, a close confidant of the former CM, meanwhile hinted that the two estranged cousins may have recently spoken over the phone. However, he did not provide any further details on the same.

MNS spokesperson and Mumbai unit president Sandeep Deshpande said the Sena (UBT) should first send a formal proposal to Raj Thackeray or at least make a phone call to break the ice and discuss the possibility of a tie-up.

He cited instances of the 2014 assembly polls and 2017 Mumbai civic body elections when the MNS had made an attempt to form an alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena.

MNS' Thane city president Avinash Jadhav said if Uddhav Thackeray takes one step, "Raj will take 100 steps".

The Maharashtra Congress, an ally of Uddhav Thackeray, said it will welcome an alliance between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS if it is in the state's interest and helps in keeping a "communal" BJP away.

“There have been talks from both Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS that they will join hands to protect Maharashtra's interests and keep a communal BJP away. If the two parties come together for this, we will welcome the move,” state Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe was quoted as saying by PTI.