MNS says Sena gave no response to its alliance offer

Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena said this evening that Shiv Sena rejected its overtures for tie-up for the civic elections in Mumbai.

There was speculation about possible alliance between the estranged Thackeray cousins who parted ways over ten years ago after Shiv Senas talks for alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party fell through.

MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar claimed this evening that Raj Thackeray made seven calls to his cousin and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray between January 22 and today, but the latter did not answer the calls or return them.

"I personally visited Uddhav Thackeray's residence yesterday with a message from Raj that our party is keen on alliance...there was no positive response to our proposal.

"We also said that MNS will be a junior partner of Shiv Sena in the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. We proposed that MNS would contest the seats where we had won (last time) and rest can be contested by Shiv Sena. But there was no positive response," said Nandgaonkar.

"The alliance, if happens, can easily stop BJP from becoming the single largest party in MCGM," he said. -- PTI