Raj Thackeray meets Amit Shah in Delhi
Thackeray called on Shah in the presence of BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis drove down to the Dadar West ‘Shivtirth’ residence of Maharashtra NavNirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and spoke to him for a few hours on Monday.
After the meeting, Fadnavis said no political meaning should be read into it though the meeting took place before the forthcoming municipal and local civic body elections to be held in Maharashtra. Raj Thackeray too did not comment on what was discussed at the meeting.
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Speculation is rife that due to its focus on winning elections to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the BJP might enter into a pre-poll tie up with the MNS.
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As part of the pre-poll electoral understanding for BMC elections, the BJP is likely to offer the Raj Thackeray‘s son Amit Thackeray, a berth in the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
When asked about the berth for Amit Thackeray, Fadnavis said, “There is no politics involved in it. After the Vidhan Sabha polls, Raj Thackeray congratulated me. He had invited me to his residence. I returned the gesture by coming to his house. It was only a personal meeting. There were no political discussions”.
Commenting on the development, Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said, “Raj Thackeray has opened a cafe in Dadar. People come and go”.
Reacting to this, MNS spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande hit out at Raut and said, “What does Raut do when he goes to the house of Sharad Pawar? Does he sweep the house?”
However, political circles view the meeting between Fadnavis and Raj Thackeray as a strategic move to expand the BJP’s reach and influence in the state.
Meanwhile, the meeting is also being viewed against the background of reports that Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is disappointed with the Mahayuti, because the BJP is pushing hard for a 100% victory in the forthcoming BMC elections. It is being speculated that the BJP is sending signals to smaller parties like the MNS for a potential alliance to win the forthcoming BMC election.
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