Raj Thackeray reaches out to Shinde, holds talks at his Thane residence

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) founder president Raj Thackeray met Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena at his ‘Nandanvan’ Bungalow in neighbouring Thane district on Wednesday and held a closed-door discussion for around 25 minutes, sources said.

Incidentally, this is the first meeting between both the leaders after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which both parties had contested separately. Raj Thackeray’s recent outreach comes amidst visible discontent within the MNS, with a section of MNS leaders publicly expressing disappointment about what they see as “inadequate support” from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena during the civic polls.

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Reacting to the development, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena leader Sushma Andhare said, “Eknath Shinde and Raj Thackeray met. There is no need to make it such a big issue. Though Eknath Shinde is our rival, he is also the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Also, Raj Thackeray is the head of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Therefore, we cannot say anything about whom he should meet or not meet.”

Significantly, no statement was issued either by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena or the Raj Thackeray-led MNS; neither was there any attempt to pass off the meeting as a mere “courtesy call” unrelated to politics. On the contrary, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde thanked MNS president Raj Thackeray for the support given to his Shiv Sena by MNS corporators in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) elections, while MNS president Raj Thackeray assured Deputy CM Eknath Shinde of MNS’s cooperation.

Later, MNS Thane city president Avinash Jadhav and MNS leader Abhijit Panse met Raj Thackeray at his Shivtirth residence at Shivaji Park, Dadar West. Discussions were held about approved corporators as well as office bearers and workers who left the MNS during the recently concluded municipal corporation elections. Key MNS office bearers from Mira Road, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli also reached Shivtirth to meet Raj Thackeray.

In a related development, BJP leader Prasad Lad met MNS president Raj Thackeray and invited him to the wedding of his son Shubham Lad.

Earlier, Raj Thackeray and his MNS had joined hands with his cousin Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena after nearly two decades to contest municipal corporation elections across Mumbai, Thane, Mira-Bhayandar, Kalyan-Dombivli, Pune and Nashik municipal corporations. However, the Uddhav Sena-MNS alliance faced a major setback in the BMC elections, after the Uddhav-led Shiv Sena got elected in 65 wards, while the MNS managed to win only six wards.

Later, after receiving MNS support in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde had praised Raj Thackeray, saying he prioritised broader development over personal political gain.

“The MNS has supported Shiv Sena for development in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC). Earlier too, MNS was with us in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The BJP–Shiv Sena alliance is not temporary, and now MNS has also joined it. Raj has never worked for personal gain,” Shinde had said, though Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief party spokesperson had claimed that the decision to support Shinde’s Shiv Sena in KDMC was taken by the local leadership of the MNS and not Raj Thackeray himself.

Raut had claimed that Raj Thackeray was “distressed” about the development and did not endorse any such move. “Raj Thackeray said this is not his or his party’s decision. If local leaders have acted against the party line, strict action should be taken. Just like in Ambernath, when Congress councillors joined the BJP, they were expelled,” Raut had stated.

However, Raj Thackeray’s visit to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena at his Nandanvan Bungalow in Thane district on Wednesday seems to prove that political equations may be emerging.