“Raj Thackeray told party workers today that he will take a call on the alliance at an appropriate time,” the functionary said.

Although Sena (UBT) chief and Raj’s estranged cousin Uddhav Thackeray has indicated that he wants a tie-up ahead of civic elections in Mumbai and elsewhere, the MNS chief is yet to announce his intentions.

On July 5, the two cousins came together on a political stage after several years to celebrate the BJP-led Maharashtra government’s rollback of two controversial orders that had introduced Hindi as a third language from Class 1 in state schools.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said they as well as workers of the two parties were hopeful about an alliance. “The remarks of both Raj and Uddhav Thackeray are positive,” Raut said. PTI PR KRK