Mumbai, Dec 24 (AHN) The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday said his party’s alliance with Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) is not just about the number of seats or specific constituencies.

He said that it is formed to bury the forces that are attempting to erase the existence of the ‘Marathi Manoos’, first from Mumbai and its surrounding areas, and tomorrow from other parts of the state.

He said that, therefore, the details of seat-sharing will be announced by the concerned individuals at the appropriate time.

“The Mayor of Mumbai will be from the MNS-Shiv Sena alliance, and he will undeniably be a Marathi person,” he announced.

Raj Thackeray, after addressing a press conference with Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray announcing a formal tie-up between the two parties for BMC elections, in his post on X said: “This alliance has been widely discussed and long-awaited. It all began with a statement I made during an interview. My words were: ‘Our Maharashtra and the Marathi person are greater than any dispute or quarrel’. This was not merely a sentence for an interview; it is a profound sentiment. It is from this core belief that these two parties have come together.”

He said that now that the alliance is announced, the answers regarding who will contest which and how many seats will be revealed soon.

“No specific information regarding this was shared on today's platform because those are technical matters,” he added.

He further stated that whether it is newspapers or news channels, a vast majority of editors, journalists, and other staff working there are staunch lovers of Maharashtra.

“They do not like the conspiracy currently unfolding against the Marathi language and the Marathi people. Many of them express their anger through their journalism, while others express it privately,” he said.

He made a special appeal to the press nd media to support the alliance.

“I request all of you: this time, prioritise what your conscience tells you over what your owners or their superiors think. This is not a battle between two parties; this is a battle for the Marathi people. Just as the media of that era stood behind the Marathi person during the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, you must stand with us this time. Because your existence will only survive if the Marathi language and the Marathi people survive. I will soon have the opportunity to meet my Marathi brothers and sisters during our public rallies. Until then, my affectionate Jai Maharashtra to all!”

Raj Thackeray chose X to defend the alliance with Shiv Sena UBT, especially when the ruling BJP has claimed that the tie-up between the two cousins was merely aimed at gaining power and not for the development of Mumbai.

BJP, in charge of BMC elections, and state Information Technology Minister Ashish Shelar claimed Thackeray cousins have united not for Marathi but for political survival, adding that this is nothing but opportunists’ hunger for power.

“At a time when the people of Mumbai bestowed their democratic mandate and blessings upon PM Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, both parties are now coming together out of fear and insecurity. This unity is not for Marathi identity, not for the pride of the Marathi people, but solely for political survival,” said minister Shelar.