Raj rules out possibility of alliance with Shiv Sena

Mumbai, Jan 14 (UNI) Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray today ruled out any possibility of having an alliance with his parent party Shiv Sena.

''There is no question of having any alliance with Shiv Sena, but I have not closed my doors to other parties,'' Mr Thackeray observed while talking to reporters here.

Raj, nephew of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, had quit Sena in December 2005, after levelling allegations against the approach and functioning of his cousin and Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray.

Political observers feel that during the Corporation elections, it is expected that MNS will damage the chances of Shiv Sena more.

When asked will he join hands with the BJP, he said he does not have any problem with any other party.

Mr Thackeray said his party would contest all the 227 seats in Mumbai; apart from most of the seats in Thane, Pune and Nasik while in other six Corporations the party would contest some seats.

After releasing the list of 155 candidates today, Mr Thackeray said all 227 party candidates, out of which 72 he had announced earlier, are fresh and no Shiv Sena sitting Corporator has been given the candidature. He said his party would not have any tie-up during the Corporation or Zilla Parishad elections.

He said there was an under current of anti-establishment wave, particularly in the youth and women.

He also released a CD of a song campaigning for MNS in Hindi and Marathi sung by Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan and Kunal Ganjawala, penned by Wagish Sarswat (Hindi) Shripad Krishna Kolhatkar and Shrirang Godbole (Marathi). The CD also carries his statement in Hindi and Marathi.

Raj avoided making any comment on the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna editorial in which he was described as 'parasite and hypocrite'.

UNI