'Pawar, Uddhav unlikely to meet'

MUMBAI:Though the Shiv Sena has softened its stand towards the Sharad Pawar-led NCP,both the parties on Wednesday denied the possibility of a meeting between Pawarand Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray.Political circles inthe state were discussing the possibility of a meeting between Pawar andThackeray and where it would lead in the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha (LS)elections. Sena MP and strategist Sanjay Raut told TOI, "No meeting has takenplace between Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray and NCP president Pawaras reported in a section of the press. There is no possibility of such a meetingin the near future.''Pawar, who is touring parts of westernMaharashtra, said after a rally, "I have good personal relations with theThackeray family and I believe that despite political differences, leadersshould maintain good relations. So when I meet Thackeray family members, it ispurely on a personal basis.'' Though Pawar has denied meeting Uddhav, he added,"Except for the BJP, the NCP is ready to forge an alliance with any otherpolitical party.''After Pawar's visit to Matoshree as a courtesycall on Bal Thackeray, the Sena's stand towards him and his party has changed.The Sena has extended its support to Pawar, in case there is a situation afterthe polls where he is in a position to stake his claim to the PM'spost.Raut ruled out the possibility of severing relations with theBJP with which it has a 25-year-long pre-poll alliance. It may go in for a newpolitical alliance with the NCP. "We have made a firm commitment to the BJP andthere is no change in the situation,'' he said.He points out thatSena-BJP talks for seat-sharing are on and senior Sena leaders Manohar Joshi aswell as Subhash Desai are participating in these talks at a preliminarylevel.Political observers rule out an immediate pre-poll alliancebetween the Sena and the NCP, both regional parties with a strong base inMaharashtra, for the LS polls. However, those who are in the know, do not ruleout further cooperation between the two parties in the post-election scenario incase of a hung Parliament.A senior Congress minister told TOI thatthere may not be an open understanding between the Sena and the NCP for the LSelections. "We cannot afford to ignore the growing understanding between the twoparties. Both may reach a tacit understanding, affecting our interests in theupcoming polls,'' he said.He said added that due to these anxieties,the AICC has already declared that the Congress will not enter any alliance atnational level with a UPA partner, including the NCP. The minister recalled thatPawar had been advocating such an understanding on the national level betweenUPA partners.prakash.joshi@timesgroup.com