Raj Thackeray holds meeting with MNS leaders

MUMBAI: In the backdrop of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s statement last month ruling out an alliance with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for the Lok Sabha polls, its chief Raj Thackeray convened a meeting of top leaders to take stock of the situation.

Thackeray asked his leaders to interact more with the workers and ensure a decent performance this time.

One of the major concerns voiced by the leaders was whether the NCP will milk the MNS solely for its benefit, with no tangible returns for the party. According to MNS leaders, the meeting was to solicit the views of the leaders.

Pawar, who has tied up with the Congress, had been advocating the entry of MNS into the grand alliance.

However, the Congress has been stringent that it will not have any pact with the MNS, considering its anti-north India stance.

There are reports that it would be an informal alliance. The MNS has reportedly asked for Mumbai North-east, Thane, Kalyan and Nashik seats from the NCP —constituencies where the party still has a voter base.

Additionally, the MNS has also offered to field candidates from a couple of constituencies as part of its strategy to damage the Sena by cutting into Marathi votes. However, Raj has still not given an indication of a future strategy.