Mumbai, June 15 (IANS) Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam on Sunday dismissed the speculation of an alliance between the Shiv Sena-UBT and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), asserting that Uddhav Thackeray’s party has grown too “weak” and is now looking towards Raj Thackeray’s MNS for survival and terming their union “impossible”.

Buzz has been building within political circles about the potential for a Thackeray cousins’ alliance ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, which are expected later this year.

In response, Nirupam told IANS: “I have been saying from the beginning that these two brothers (Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray) cannot come together. Uddhav Thackeray’s party has become very weak; his base has completely scattered.”

“First, he thought he could save himself by allying with Congress, but Congress got ruined and dropped to 16 seats. Then he thought of allying with Sharad Pawar to survive, and now Sharad Pawar is down to just 10 seats,” he said.

Referring to the latest attempts at forming new political combinations, Nirupam claimed: “Now, by forming an alliance with a party that finds its roots in the same ideology as that of Shiv Sena, he will destroy that party also.”

The comment comes amid reports of a behind-the-scenes political alignment involving the MNS and the BJP. MNS chief Raj Thackeray recently held a closed-door meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, triggering further speculation.

The meeting, which lasted nearly an hour, is being viewed by the political experts as part of the BJP’s strategy to consolidate its hold over the BMC by bringing the MNS into its fold — either directly or via Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena.

Neither Fadnavis nor Raj Thackeray spoke to the media following the meeting. However, Raj Thackeray later held a separate meeting with MNS office-bearers from Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar, fuelling further intrigue over the party’s next political move.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena-UBT has indicated that it is not opposed to a possible alliance with MNS for the BMC elections, leaving the door open to a political realignment ahead of the civic election.

–IANS

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