Pranab-Thackeray meet likely on July 13

Thackeray recently broke ranks with NDA on Presidential issue, saying his party would vote for Pranab

UPA presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee is likely to meet Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray here on July 13 to thank him for backing his candidature, Sena sources said here today.

"There is a strong possibility of the two leaders meeting", a senior Sena leader told PTI.

Thackeray recently broke ranks with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance on the Presidential issue, saying his party would vote for Mukherjee in the Presidential poll slated on July 19.

Having declared his party's support for Mukherjee in the Presidential poll, Thackeray recently described him as 'super power' in the UPA government and said the Opposition should be happy that with his election the government will become a 'lame duck'.

"Mukherjee is a super power in the Manmohan Singh government and because of his going to the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the government is going to become a lame duck. That is why the Opposition parties should be the most happy ones to see that he is going to the Rashtrapati Bhawan", Thackeray had said.

In the 2007 poll also, Thackeray had supported the UPA choice Pratibha Patil, breaking ranks with NDA on the issue of her being a Maharashtrian.

On reports that Union Agriculture Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, an old friend of Thackeray, would accompany Mukherjee to the meeting, NCP sources said, "nothing is impossible".

In 2007, the then chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh (Congress) and deputy chief minister, R R Patil (NCP) had visited Thackeray's home in suburban Bandra to thank him for supporting Patil.

During his visit to the city on July 13, Mukherjee is also expected to meet UPA MPs and legislators from the state.