Amid expression of optimism and outright pessimism voiced by the two sides, BJP’s national president Amit Shah had a lengthy meeting with Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday in an effort to iron out differences between the parties and renew tie-up for the 2019 lok Sabha polls.
Accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shah drove to Thackerays’ “Matoshri” residence at Bandra in north-west Mumbai around 7.45 pm and spent more than two hours interacting with Uddhav and Sena’s youth-wing chief and Uddhav’s son Aditya on various vexed issues between the two parties, including the need for the two saffron alliance partners contesting the 2019 elections as an alliance.
During the course of the lengthy meeting, Shah and Uddhav had a one-to-one sitting in which the two leaders are understood to have discussed various issues between the two parties which are coming in the way of the Sena reconsidering its stated position that it would contest all future elections on its own. The two leaders also had two rounds of talks in the presence of Fadnavis and Aditya.
Given the elaborate deliberation on various issues that Shah and Uddhav had at the meeting, the two leaders are understood to have broken the ice and set tone for more rounds of talks between them.
After the meeting, Shah left “Matoshri” without addressing the media. Nor was there an official word from the Shiv Sena on what transpired at the meeting. Earlier, the television footage showed that Uddhav coming to his doorstep to see off Shah and Fadnavis.
Though there was no official confirmation from either of the saffron alliance partners, speculation has it that Shah might offer a Cabinet berth to the Shiv Sena in the expansion of the Cabinet that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would in all likelihood undertake in July, and the nomination of Sena’s man as candidate for the Deputy Chairman for the Rajya Sabha election, which is likely to take place in July this year.
Held against the backdrop of acute strained relations between them and bitter electoral battle in the recent Palghar lok Sabha bypoll, Wednesday’s meeting between the two leaders is of considerable importance ahead of the 2019 lok Sabha polls. Earlier in the day, the Shiv Sena poured cold water on the BJP’s hopes of sewing up ties with it for the 2019 lok Sabha polls by ridiculing the very purpose of a meeting between Shah and Uddhav.“At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a world tour, BJP’s president Amit Shah is a nation-wide tour. What is the actual purpose behind Shah meeting the leaders of NDA constituentsIJ... The Shiv Sena will fight the 2019 polls on its own strength. The Palghar lok Sabha bypoll outcome has already proved the Shiv Sena’s strength,” the Sena stated in an editorial published in its official mouth-piece “Saamana”.
“The BJP should find out as to why the Modi government has lost its contact with the people. We, the Shiv Sena, are always in touch with the people and we function on the basis of the support we enjoy at the grass-root level That being the case, there is no for a poster-boy ( BJP) to win the elections,” ,” the “Saamana” editorial stated.
“We salute Shah’s objective of ensuring BJP’s 350-seat victory on its own strength. But, the fact remains: that prices of petroleum products and essential commodities have sky-rocketed, distressed farmers have gone on an agitation, the Modi government has lost its contact with the farmers, the BJP won the Palghar by-poll by using “Saam, Daam, Dand and Bhed” (all means and methods), the BJP is attempting to break farmers’ agitation using the same agitation. That being the case, it is really appreciable that Modi is engaged a global outreach programme, while Shah is engaged in a similar program across the nation,” the Sena stated, in its official mouth-piece.
In a related development, Shah expressed optimism that the BJP would contest the 2019 lok Sabha election in alliance with Shiv Sena.
In an interview aired by a regional television channel ahead of his impending meeting with the Sena President, Shah said: "It is not that I am meeting him for the first time. I have met him for five times since our government occupied the office in 2014".
Replying to a question, Shah also said that he did not think Uddhav Thackeray expressing displeasure towards the BJP was a big issue. "It may be for media, but not for me," the BJP president said.