Putting to rest all rumours of a secret meeting between Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray in a hotel, Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said that no such meeting has taken place.
Slamming the media over reports of their meeting, Sanjay Raut told PTI, “What problem do you (the media) have if they are in one room? One is CM and the other is a leader from the opposition. But nothing of the sort (meeting) happened.”
Raut was responding to media queries about Fadnavis and Aaditya present at the hotel in BKC at the same time on Saturday evening. Fadnavis’ tongue-in-cheek remark directed at Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on the “scope” for him in the ruling side set off speculation last week.
“Uddhav ji, there is no scope (for a change in government) till 2029. We do not have the scope to come to the other (opposition’s) side. You have the scope to come here, and it can be thought about. We can think about it differently,” the chief minister had said during a farewell function in the legislative council for the leader of the opposition, Ambadas Danve.
Shaina NC dismisses speculations
Shiv Sena’s Shaina NC on Sunday also dismissed the speculations regarding a meeting Aaditya Thackeray and CM Fadnavis and said that they were indeed at the same venue but attending different events.
“In a city like Mumbai, if you have Aaditya Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis at the same venue, attending different programs, where is the speculation of a secret meeting? For all those who are suggesting, political circles are discussing a behind-the-scenes possibility, which is only possible if they meet. They haven’t even met. So, please stop this speculation,” Shaina NC told ANI.
Maharashtra’s changing political landscape
The rumours reignited speculations of a possible change in the political landscape of Maharashtra, especially because Uddhav Thackeray, UBT chief and father of Aadtiya Thackeray, had met CM Fadnavis at the office of Legislative Council Chairman Ram Shinde earlier this month.
Notably, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray also has said that ego clashes and disagreement over seat sharing led to the Maha Vikas Agadhi’s defeat in the assembly polls, as reported by ANI.
Currently, Shiv Sena (UBT) is in the opposition alliance of Maha Vikas Agadhi (MVA), with Congress and NCP(SCP) as its partners. Meanwhile, the Mahayuti alliance leads the Maharashtra government, comprising of BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), and NCP (Ajit Pawar).
The MVA had a dismal performance in the 2024 assembly election, winning only 46 seats. UBT is the largest party in the MVA alliance with just 20 seats. The Mahayuti alliance, comprising of BJP, NCP (Ajit Pawar) and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), had swept the assembly polls by winning a total of 230 out of 288 seats.
This is also not the first time the state would see a possible shift between alliances and leaders. In 2022 the Shiv Sena party itself split into two, after Eknath Shinde broke away to ally with the BJP and became the Chief Minister. The Shiv Sena and BJP have also allied previously after 2014 to form the government in the state.
