In a development that sparked speculation vis-a-vis the unresolved NDA’s Prime Ministerial nomination issue, Janata Party president Subramaniam Swamy on Monday met Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray here and discussed the current political situation in the country.
After the meeting, Swamy said that he had an hour-long meeting with the Sena president — during which both discussed wide-range of issues including the issues, strategy and the NDA's Prime Ministerial candidate for the forthcoming lok Sabha polls.
Swamy said that Uddhav concurred with him, corruption, development and adopting Hindutva to the current needs would be the issues for the lS polls.He said that the issue of NDA's Prime Ministerial nomination did figure in his meeting with Uddhav.
He, however, did not spell out as to who could be the Sena's choice for the Prime Minister's candidate. "The issue needs to be discussed at the NDA meeting," he said.
Swamy's meeting with Uddhav is being seen as an effort on the former's part to gauge the mood of the Sena over its choice for the PM's candidate. Swamy said that on his return to the capital, he would meet veteran BJP leader lK Advani and brief him about the details of his meeting with Uddhav.
On its part, the Shiv Sena - which had though in the past thrown its weight behind Sushma Swaraj - is keeping its choice for the NDA's PM candidate close to its chest.
The Sena, whose late chief Bal Thackeray had in September last year had come out in support of Swaraj in the prime ministerial nomination race, appears to have re-considered its stand and is in mood to spell out its choice, especially in the changed political scenario where Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is being indirectly projected as the NDA prime ministerial candidate by some sections of the BJP. On his part, Uddhav has rooted for an early meeting of the NDA leaders to finalise its Prime Ministerial nomination.