Amid alliance buzz, Uddhav Thackeray meets Raj

Mumbai: Setting the stage for an alliance for the upcoming local body polls, including the Mumbai civic elections, Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday had a long meeting with MNS chief Raj Thackeray as the two parties begin talks for an alliance.

Uddhav, accompanied by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and MLC Anil Parab met Raj for more than two hours at the MNS chief's residence. Raj's confidants - Bala Nandgaonkar and Sandeep Deshpande - were also present in the meeting. The meeting assumes significance as besides the recent bonhomie between the two cousins, this was one of the first meetings where "preliminary" discussions on an alliance were discussed.

Raut, however, tried to downplay the meeting, claiming that Uddhav had gone to Raj's home at the invitation of Raj's mother Kunda Thackeray, who is also Uddhav's aunt. However, sources within the Shiv Sena UBT and MNS have confirmed that formal talks between the two cousins had begun. An MNS leader when contacted cautiously said, "It is still too early, let us see how the talks go."