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‘Drums, pipes and chants’: Sena workers' show of support outside Uddhav Thackeray's house ‘Matoshree’
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday held a crucial meeting with NCP president Sharad Pawar, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and other party leaders. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut was also an attendee at the meeting.
Shiv Sena workers on Friday played drums and pipes outside party supremo and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray's family residence ‘Matoshree’, with videos of the moments shared on social media by news agency ANI. Gathered in large numbers, the workers also chanted ‘Shiv Sena Zindabad’ as their show of support for their party.
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These moments were witnessed during a vital meeting between Uddhav and leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at the former's residence. NCP president Sharad Pawar and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar were present at the meeting, and Sena MP and party spokesperson Sanjay Raut was also there.
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The NCP leaders as well as Raut were seen entering amid tight security. The Sena MP kept the window of his car down, and waved at the camerapersons and sea of Sena workers engulfing ‘Matoshree’.
The meeting was called amid the current political scenario in Maharashtra, which continues to look dim for Uddhav as rebel Sena leader Eknath Shinde's camp grows stronger. Earlier today, yet another MLA Dilip Lande traveled to Assam's capital Guwahati to join Shinde's unit.
The Sena has, meanwhile, called a meeting of the party's national executive committee at 1pm tomorrow which will be attended by Uddhav via video conferencing.
The meeting comes after Uddhav's emotional appeal to his party workers earlier today wherein he vowed to continue fighting the rebellion. He said that he might have left the official chief minister's residence ‘Varsha’ but his will to fight persists. Uddhav also took a dig at Shinde saying that the CM “did everything” for the latter's son Shrikant. “The department I had was given to him (Shinde),” Uddhav added during the address.
Also Read | After Uddhav's 'was not well' speech, emotional video from Shinde camp's Yamini Jadhav: 'suffering from...'
Notably, Shinde's camp is staying at the five-star Radisson Blue Hotel in Guwahati. The rebel leader along with over a dozen lawmakers had initially halted for a day at a five-star hotel in Surat in Gujarat on Tuesday before making their way to Guwahati. Both Assam and Gujarat are ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been lambasted by the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituent parties - Shiv Sena, the NCP and Congress, in Maharashtra, for plotting to oust it from power. However, the saffron unit has time and again denied the allegations.
