Maharashtra: Raj Thackeray likely to join BJP-Shiv Sena alliance

Raj Thackeray, the chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), is reportedly set to join ranks with the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance led by Eknath Shinde in Maharashtra, ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. 

This information was shared by sources to India Today TV on Monday. Thackeray is currently en route to Delhi, where Maharashtra's Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule are also present. 

It is anticipated that Thackeray will demand two seats - South Mumbai and Shirdi, for MNS. Notably, Raj Thackeray and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, who leads the opposition in Maharashtra, are estranged cousins. 

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Raj is also the nephew of the late Bal Thackeray, the founder of Shiv Sena. 

The Shiv Sena split into two factions post a rebellion by Eknath Shinde in 2022, after which he assumed the role of Maharashtra's Chief Minister. 

The current ruling alliance of Maharashtra comprises BJP, NCP and Shinde-led Sena.