Sharad Pawar met Uddhav Thackeray a day after Sanjay Raut and Devendra Fadnavis met (File)
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar met Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray a day after Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut met BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, sparking huge speculation and theories.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief met Mr Thackeray, who is from the alliance partner Shiv Sena - the other is Congress - for 40 minutes at the Chief Minister's house, but what all they have discussed is not known, news agency PTI reported quoting unnamed sources.
The two leaders may have discussed plans to further ease coronavirus safety guidelines as part of the "unlock" process that happens in phases, PTI reported. Maharashtra has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in India.
The meeting of the two top Maharashtra leaders within 24 hours after Sanjay Raut and Devendra Fadnavis had a talk in a luxury hotel in Mumbai has, however, raised eyebrows at a time when Shiv Sena and BJP leaders have sparred bitterly in public over a range of issues, the latest being the Sushant Singh Rajput case and the demolition at actor Kangana Ranaut's office.
Sanjay Raut, confirming the meeting, said it was for an interview for the Shiv Sena mouthpiece "Saamana" - which he is in charge of - and that Uddhav Thackeray was aware of it.
"Devendra Fadnavis is not our enemy. We have worked with him. I met Fadnavis for his interview for Saamna. This was a pre-decided meeting. Even Uddhav Thackeray was aware of this," Mr Raut told reporters.
"Is it a crime to meet Fadnavis, who is a former chief minister and now the Opposition leader in the state Assembly? We have ideological differences but we are not enemies," he added.
Mr Raut said he had interviewed NCP leader Sharad Pawar and had also announced interviews with Devendra Fadnavis, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Shiv Sena and BJP had contested the Maharashtra election as allies but fell out over how to form government together, with the Shiv Sena insisting on a better share in ministries. The Sena finally broke off ties with the BJP and formed a government with rivals NCP and the Congress.