Day after Fadnavis-Raut meeting sparks speculation, Sharad Pawar meets Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar met Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai on Sunday. The meeting took place a day after former state chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis met Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in Mumbai, sparking speculation in political circles. Pawar met Thackeray at the latter’s official residence and the meeting lasted for about 40 minutes, sources said. What transpired during the meeting could not be known immediately. Sources, however, said the future unlocking process and the COVID-19 situation in the state were some of the issues that were discussed during the meeting. Fadnavis and Raut had met at a hotel in Mumbai on Saturday. Although their meeting triggered speculation, Fadnavis on Sunday asserted that the BJP has no intention of joining hands with the Shiv Sena or of bringing down the Uddhav Thackeray-led state government. Fadnavis also said the meeting was regarding an interview for Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.