Predicting a win for Mahayuti in the Assembly elections, MNS chief Raj Thackeray said that the BJP will install its CM with support from his party. Speaking at the ABP Majha conclave in Mumbai, Raj said that he was always close to the BJP because he had no bond with any other party. The MNS is contesting independently at some 135 seats across the state. His son Amit, who is in the field from Mahim, has been extended support by the BJP though the Shinde Sena’s candidate has refused to pull out from the contest.

Raj said that some days ago the Mahayuti was seen as a losing force, but of late, especially after the Haryana victory for BJP, the situation seemed to have changed. “I think the Mahayuti will win and BJP will have its CM, of course with our support,” he said. MNS had won 13 seats in the 2009 elections but later ended up in single digits. Currently, it has one MLA, but hopes to bag more than its 2009 tally.