Sena (UBT), MNS will 'surely' contest Maharashtra local bodies polls together: Raut

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said the Uddhav Thackeray-led party and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) will "surely" contest the local bodies polls together.

After months of speculation, estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray reunited in July to protest against the Maharashtra government's three-language policy for students of Classes 1-5 and "imposition" of Hindi language, and even held a joint "victory" programme after the decisions were rolled back.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Rajya Sabha MP Raut responded in the affirmative when asked about the possibility of the Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray-led MNS coming together to fight the upcoming local bodies elections in the state.

"Surely", he said.

"Both Thackerays will come together and discuss this," he said.

The elections to the high-profile civic body in Mumbai, which the Sena considers its home ground, and other municipal corporations are due in the coming months.

Raut said since the rapprochement between the cousins, workers of the Sena (UBT) and MNS are confident that the alliance will garner a majority in the civic bodies of Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Thane and Kalyan-Dombivili.

Raj Thackeray walked away from the undivided Shiv Sena in 2005 over apparent differences with his cousin and formed the MNS, projecting it as the true champion of the cause of the sons-of-the-soil.

The parties, led by the cousins, have since contested elections against each other.