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Eyeing Mumbai North East, Kalyan and Nashik Lok Sabha seats , MNS chief hopes to join grand alliance, but Cong has reservations.With the Congress and NCP on the verge of striking a deal for the Lok Sabha seats and the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance talks moving forward, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) hopes to get entry into the Congress-led anti-BJP front. MNS chief Raj Thackeray had a secret meeting with senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel when the latter visited the city to attend his son Amit’s wedding on Sunday.MNS sources said that Raj separately met Patel, who is considered close to Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi. While Raj had invited Rahul for the wedding, Patel attended the ceremony on behalf of the Congress leadership.“Rajsaheb met Ahmed Patel at the wedding, and the two had a private meeting too. It was a one-on-one conversation that lasted around 20 minutes,” said an MNS functionary.What transpired in the conversation is not known, but political observers said that the MNS’s possible entry into the Congress-led anti-BJP front was likely to have been discussed.“The NCP might be willing to give a seat or two to the MNS, but it won’t be possible without the Congress’s consent. The fact that Patel came for the wedding is an indication that a channel is now open between the Congress and the MNS,” said a political observer.Mumbai Mirror had reported earlier this month that after the bonhomie between NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Raj over the last few months, the MNS wants the NCP to give the Mumbai North East Lok Sabha seat to it. The MNS is keen on contesting this seat, which is represented by BJP’s Kirit Somaiya, along with Kalyan and Nashik seats. With a Sena-BJP alliance in place, the MNS hopes to see a Marathi versus Gujarati fight in Mumbai North East Lok Sabha seat, where it can polarise Maharashtrian votes.A senior MNS functionary said that if the grand alliance wanted Raj to take on the PM Modi-led BJP government, it would have to give the MNS a platform. “We can’t just go on attacking the BJP without any purpose. Rajsaheb has a lot of charisma and can pull votes. But we will need a stage from where we can take on the BJP. We have good strength in the North East constituency. In 2009, we had three legislators from the assembly segments of that seat. Rajsaheb has a good following in the Vikhroli-Bhandup belt. There are a lot of Marathi voters too, so if the MNS fights from there, it is a winnable seat,” the functionary said.A section of the NCP believes that the MNS could turn out to be a crucial factor in stopping the victory march of the BJP in the Lok Sabha and the state assembly elections this year.A senior city Congress functionary, however, cautioned that if the MNS is taken on board even informally, it would hit the Congress’s prospects in north Indian states. “The MNS might want to join the alliance, but it will have a big impact in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Even if they fight on seats from the NCP quota, it will hit us. So I don’t think taking the MNS on board is a good idea for the Lok Sabha elections. Anyway, they are at rock bottom and have limited impact now,” the Congress functionary said.“It is all too premature but this fits into the political arithmetic. The NCP has no real presence in Mumbai. So it can give a seat or two to the MNS. This will give a back-door entry to the MNS into the grand alliance and won’t hurt the Congress’s North Indian votes too. Even two seats will give Raj Thackeray a platform to dent BJP’s prospects. But it’s still too early to say anything,” said senior journalist Uday Tanpathak.