The Shiv Sena is likely to decide its stance on the presidential election at a meeting to be chaired by party chief Bal Thackeray on Friday night.

"A meeting of the top party leadership will be chaired by Balasaheb Thackeray tonight at 9 pm. Other leaders, including Udhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut and Manohar Joshi will also be present, and a decision is likely to be taken," party sources told PTI.

The party had on Thursday said it was "less opposed" to United Progressive Alliance candidate Pratibha Patil, welcoming the fact that a Marathi woman had been considered for the prestigious post.

The Sena newspaper Saamna also echoed the same sentiment in its front page story on Friday morning, terming it as "historic" that a Maharashtrian had been considered and said a decision on the matter was likely to be taken in a couple of days.

Although there was one school of thought that says Sena should support Patil to become the first Marathi President of the country, others felt that the party should not go against National Democratic Alliance, party sources said.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Thursday announced that Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil was the UPA-Left presidential candidate.