Fadnavis, Thackeray meeting unsettles Mahayuti, MVA allies

The brief meeting between chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray in Nagpur's Vidhan Bhavan on Tuesday has unsettled both parties' allies in the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

- Surendra P Gangan

NAGPUR:

The meeting is being seen as an attempt by the BJP to build up pressure on the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena at a time when the two parties are at loggerheads over power-sharing.

Similarly, Thackeray's reported lobbying for the post of leader of the opposition is said to be a move to keep the Congress under check, as the latter too has staked a claim to the post on the grounds that it has given the post in the legislative council to the Sena (UBT).

Thackeray, who was on a one-day visit to Nagpur, attended the legislative council for a brief period and called on Fadnavis in his cabin. He was accompanied by his party legislators, including his son Aaditya and nephew Varun Sardesai. He later met assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar, who his party had sharply criticised for his verdict on the disqualification of Shiv Sena MLAs after the party split in June 2022. The meeting, which lasted for about 10 minutes, not only led to raised eyebrows in political circles but also reportedly rattled the ruling and opposition alliance's partners.

Message to Shinde?