CM Shinde meets Raj Thackeray; calls on Sena leaders on the occasion of Ganesh festival

Shinde’s visit to Raj Thackeray’s home assumes significance in the backdrop of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s efforts to warm up to the MNS

Mumbai Chief minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray at the latter’s Dadar residence Shivtirth, to greet him for the Ganesh festival. The CM also called on other Shiv Sena leaders Manohar Joshi and Milind Narvekar, a close aide of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, at their homes.

While Raj has stopped short of siding with the BJP, his campaigns earlier in the year against loudspeakers outside mosques, took forward the saffron party’s Hindutva agenda (Hindustan Times)

Shinde’s visit to Raj Thackeray’s home assumes significance in the backdrop of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s efforts to warm up to the MNS to counter the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in the forthcoming civic body elections. Raj, who is Thackeray’s cousin, was a strident critic of the previous Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which was brought down by following a rebellion led by Shinde in June.

While Raj has stopped short of siding with the BJP, his campaigns earlier in the year against loudspeakers outside mosques, took forward the saffron party’s Hindutva agenda.

BJP state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, party national general secretary Vinod Tawde and Union minister of state for railways Raosaheb Danve also paid a visit to Raj at his residence earlier this week.

Shinde’s camp of 40 Sena legislators and the BJP are expected to fight the forthcoming local body polls together, and it is likely that they may seek Raj’s help.

Shinde’s visit to Joshi and Narvekar’s homes also raised eyebrows in political circles. While Joshi, a former CM, is believed to be an Uddhav Thackeray loyalist, Narvekar, Thackeray’s private secretary, rose to the rank of leader in the Sena hierarchy after Shinde’s rebellion.

Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis also paid a visit to billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s South Mumbai residence to offer prayers during the Ganesh festival.