Raj-Shelar meeting sparks speculation in political circles

An hour-long meeting between Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashish Shelar on Sunday has once again

An hour-long meeting between Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashish Shelar on Sunday has once again given rise to speculations of an understanding between the two parties.

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Shelar met Thackeray at his Dadar residence Krishna Kunj and held closed-door talks. According to sources, the talks centred on the forthcoming Aurangabad and Navi Mumbai civic polls.

While Thackeray was unavailable for comment, Shelar refused to talk on the issue. “I have no comments to offer,” he said. MNS insiders also claimed the talks were about the polls.

Thackeray had undertaken a mammoth march in Mumbai on February 9 calling for the eviction of illegal Bangladeshi and Pakistani infiltrators from India. Many BJP leaders had indirectly supported the march. Thackeray had met with Shelar prior to the march and in January, he reportedly held a secret meeting with former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at Parel.

After Shiv Sena severed ties with the BJP and formed the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Thackeray has been attempting to get closer to the BJP. This is despite the fact that Thackeray led a campaign against the BJP in the 2019 parliamentary and Assembly polls.

According to political observers, the BJP needs MNS to counter the Sena-led alliance. “Since Shelar has been close to Thackeray from his student union days, he must have been deputed by the state leadership to coordinate with Raj.

Also, the BJP is now planning to utilise the MNS for the forthcoming Navi Mumbai and Aurangabad polls,” said political analyst Hemant Desai.