Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met MNS President Raj Thackeray on Friday. The meeting, which took place at Thackeray’s residence in Dadar here, fueled speculation, especially as it came ahead of civic polls in Mumbai and the pending cabinet expansion of the Eknath Shinde-led government in the state. But Fadnavis said it was only a “courtesy visit” to inquire about Thackeray’s health.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief had undergone hip replacement surgery in June. Later talking to reporters, the BJP leader said that there is no need to read much in the meeting.
“In Maharashtra, we have a culture of following political etiquette. He was unwell and I met him. What is so political about it?” Fadnavis said. MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar said he and his party colleagues Nitin Sardesai and Sandeep Deshpande were present during the meeting of the two leaders, but later Fadnavis and Thackeray discussed separately for over an hour.
Fadnavis and Raj Thackeray have always had good relations. Nandgaonkar said that when efforts were on to form a new government, our party sincerely tried to help them (BJP). Asked whether MNS would join the Eknath Shinde-led government, he said, “There is no question of MNS being part of the government, (but) I have no information about whether both (Fadnavis and Fadnavis) will be part of the government.” What happened in the meeting between Rule). Earlier this month, Raj Thackeray wrote an open letter to Fadnavis, praising him for setting an example of loyalty and commitment to the party by accepting the post of Shinde’s deputy despite being the top contender for the chief minister’s post. . Shinde, who toppled the Uddhav Thackeray government after revolting with most of the Shiv Sena MLAs, was sworn in as chief minister on June 30 with the support of the BJP.
Asked whether the BJP and MNS would forge an alliance for the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Nandgaonkar said, “The situation is very favorable for our party as there is a lot of mistrust among the people towards all (other) parties.” We will go alone, but then in politics no one is friend or foe. His party, which has one MLA, will support National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Draupadi Mumru in the presidential election.
The MNS had also supported the BJP in the Rajya Sabha and state legislative council elections last month.
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