MNS says Shiv Sena gave no response to its alliance offer

MUMBAI: 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 Sena's talks for alliance with BJP 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.

Sena leaders indicated that if the alliance was to happen, the party would seek all the seats in Dadar area where MNS had done very well last time, he said.

A Sena leader had said earlier in the day that Uddhav Thackeray had made it clear that seat-sharing or tactical alliance with any party was now out of question, though "if anybody wants to support us, we will consider it sympathetically".

Nandgaonkar could not meet Uddhav, but handed over a letter containing the party's proposal.