New Delhi: Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday held a two-hour long meeting in Mumbai in the backdrop of former Sena leader Narayan Rane's recent outburst against Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.
Pawar, an old friend of the Sena chief, was at Matoshree, the Thackeray residence in suburban Bandra.
The meeting becomes significant in the light of Rane's statement criticising Deshmukh. Rane had met Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Saturday, a day after he made that statement.
Pawar, however, described the meeting at Thakeray's residence as a courtesy call. He said he had not called on the aging Balasaheb since the death of his wife Meenatai Thackeray.
Meanwhile, political analysts said the meeting assumes importance, as Rane is a 'common opponent' of both Thackeray and Pawar.
The meeting immediately became the talking point in Maharashtra political circles.
With the Congress faring poorly in Gujarat, the demand for Deshmukh's seat could get more vociferous in the coming weeks.
A top Sena source, requesting anonymity, told IANS, “Something dramatic could happen around the New Year.”
The Sena is worried about a possible change of guard by the Congress, if that brings Rane's name to the forefront. Rane is a former Shiv Sainik who left the party nearly three years ago.
(With inputs from IANS)
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