MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray termed the BMC elections as an “acid test” for his party and said even if former corporators who left the party to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena want to return, there is no guarantee they will be given tickets for the BMC polls.He was speaking at a meeting of his shakha pramukhs and told them to prepare for the BMC polls for all 227 constituencies.Uddhav said he was in talks with MNS, and a decision on an alliance with it will be taken “at the right time.” There was speculation that around 15 former corporators who left to join Shinde wanted to return to the Uddhav camp ahead of BMC polls. “Uddhavji has asked everyone to hit the ground running and prepare across all 227 civic constituencies. He said this BMC election is an acid test for us and we have to ensure that a Sena (UBT) mayor is anointed in the BMC. He said the MNS alliance was in the works and we will be informed soon about the decision, but for now we have to prepare in all wards,” a Sena (UBT) functionary said. The functionary said the MNS was expecting around 90-95 seats in the BMC polls, but seat-to-seat negotiations would ‘rationalise’ this number. On Tuesday, in an indication that the alliance between the cousins was almost certain, Uddhav had said that a formal alliance with MNS chief Raj Thackeray will be announced soon and at the right time. Former corporators of the BMC have told Uddhav that they are keen on an alliance with MNS. “The Marathi people want an alliance to happen. If it does, there will be a sea change in Maharashtra. This is what we told Uddhavji. Now as party president he will take a decision,” former Sena (UBT) corporator Suresh Patil had said.
