Uddhav, Aaditya Thackeray hold late-night meet with Sharad Pawar in Mumbai; Sena chief to address party MLAs today to discuss Maharashtra tie-up

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and his MLA-son Aaditya met Sharad Pawar at the NCP president’s residence ‘Silver Oak’ in South Mumbai on Thursday night. The Sena’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut and NCP leader Ajit Pawar were also present during the meet. [caption id=“attachment_6320581” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of NCP chief Sharad Pawar. PTI[/caption] The crucial meeting took place for over an hour as the former NDA ally continued its effort to form government in Maharashtra with the support of the maha aghadi alliance – the NCP and the Congress. The Thackerays called on Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, after he arrived in Mumbai from New Delhi in the evening. However, no Congress leader was present at the meet. “Since it was a meeting between top leaders, only they will know what transpired there. But the discussion is likely to have revolved around giving final touches to sharing of posts in the government being planned to be formed,” an NCP leader said. The meeting took place on a day when Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said in New Delhi that his party and the NCP have “complete unanimity” on all issues concerning government formation in Maharashtra and will now hold talks with the Shiv Sena to “finalise the architecture of the alliance”. Click here to follow Maharashtra Govt formation LIVE Updates The discussions will now move to Mumbai where the Congress and the NCP will hold deliberations with their other pre-poll allies – Peasants Workers Party, Samajwadi Party, Swabhimani Paksh and CPM – and then with the Sena, Chavan told reporters after another round of talks between senior leaders of his party and the NCP in the National Capital.

Sources said the three parties are likely to make a formal announcement on Friday about joining hands to take a shot at power in the state. The Sena chief will address a meeting of party MLAs and senior leaders on Friday during which he is expected to deliberate on the party’s line of action in the backdrop of the three main non-BJP parties making efforts to form government in Maharashtra, a party leader said.