MUMBAI: A day after MNS chief Raj Thackeray reached Delhi late on Monday, only saying he had been “called” to explain his sudden presence there, he posted pictures of a meeting with BJP politician Amit Shah on X on Tuesday.
His son, Amit, who was accompanying him, put up a Facebook post: “MNS chief Raj Thackeray met Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi. I was a witness to this great meeting.”
The meeting so close to the Lok Sabha poll triggered speculation of a possible tie-up. Observer Ravikiran Deshmukh said BJP would never have aligned with Raj Thackeray given his stand against north Indians in the state, but it was now becoming increasingly clear that the party was worried about the Marathi vote.
“Bala Nandgaonkar of the MNS contested the Lok Sabha election twice from Mumbai South and successfully split the Marathi votes. Thackeray may insist on two seats, Mumbai South and Kalyan,” Deshmukh said. In Mumbai South, Marathi voters are concentrated in Sewri, Worli and Byculla. Deshmukh said the sympathy there lay with Uddhav Thackeray.
Ever since the alliance between BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray came apart in 2019, BJP has been openly wooing Raj Thackeray.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, Location Guesser and Mini Crossword. Clara Lewis is a Senior Editor (Government & Policy). She enjoys ...
Read MoreClara Lewis is a Senior Editor (Government & Policy). She enjoys meeting people, reading and travel, and keeps her eye on the changing face of the city and its rapid evolving demographic profile.
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