Mumbai: In a sign of increasing bonhomie, after coming together on the dais on Sena foundation day, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray will jointly address the BJP and the Sena legislators on Monday. Hyped as a key address by both leaders, it will set the tone for what lies ahead in the run-up to the Assembly elections.
The Shiv Sena and the BJP legislators have been directed to be present for this meeting on Monday at 5 pm in the Central Hall of Vidhan Bhavan. Still riding on a high, both the BJP and the Sena are upbeat about cruising through the Assembly elections but have been advised by the leadership to not to leave any stone unturned.
In 2014, both parties had a wider canvas as they had desisted from entering a pre-poll alliance. But this time they do not have that luxury. Most likely, a few sitting members of the Legislative Assembly may not get tickets in the upcoming election. To counter the incumbency factor, both sides may also like to float new faces; keeping the imponderables in mind, they may also end up swapping seats for tactical reasons. But the primary challenge will be to carry the pack along, especially those who are being denied a ticket. Both Fadnavis and Thackeray will probably appeal to the rank and file to be more accommodating in the larger interest. It will be a test case for the alliance and the maturity of its leadership. Uddhav Thackeray, in turn, will be visiting Maharashtra Legislature and jointly addressing the meeting for the first time. His son has visited the legislature several times, though.
