In a surprising turn of events, just two days after the expansion of the Maharashtra Cabinet, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Nagpur on Tuesday.
Thackeray met Fadnavis in the presence of party legislators Aaditya Thackeray, Anil Parab, Varun Desai and others.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, who is a member of the state legislative council, arrived in Nagpur to attend the ongoing winter session of the state legislature.
This was the first meeting between the two leaders after the formation of the new government.
Thackeray, the former Maharashtra CM, reportedly went to congratulate Fadnavis on his appointment as chief minister.
Saying that he expects normal politics in Maharashtra, Uddhav said, “I could not win the elections. Those people won the elections and their government was formed. Decisions in the interest of Maharashtra are expected.”
However, Thackeray joked that they would continue asking them through the public how they won this election.
Aaditya, son of Uddhav Thackeray and party MLA from Worli, termed the meeting between Thackeray and Fadnavis as a 'step forward'.
“Today our party chief Uddhav Thackeray met CM Devendra Fadnavis and Parliament Speaker Rahul Narwekar. This is a step forward. Both (the ruling party and the opposition) must show political maturity to work together for the benefit of the country and the state,” Aaditya said.
Earlier in the day, Thackeray called for holding elections using ballot papers, alleging that the Centre's move to introduce a bill on simultaneous elections in the Lok Sabha was an attempt to divert attention from issues plaguing the country.
“The issue of 'One Nation, One Election' should come later. Firstly, the election of the Election Commissioner must take place. If the president can be elected, why not the election commissioner? If people have doubts about EVMs, those doubts should Let voting be done only once through ballot papers. If the same majority is achieved, no one will question it again,” ANI said, quoting Uddhav Thackeray.
Meanwhile, just two days ago, after the party's poor performance in the Assembly elections, Thackeray's Shiv Sena hinted at a return to the core of the Hindutva agenda.
Uddhav Thackeray had on Friday attacked the Union government over atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh and sought to know what steps India had taken to protect the community in the neighboring country.