Shinde, Raj meet over ‘similar ideologies’

MUMBAI: Deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray at his Shivaji Park residence over dinner on Tuesday, sparking off speculations of a possible alliance. While Shinde denied that the two had engaged in any political discussions, he said both his and Raj Thackeray’s ideologies were aligned.

During the assembly polls, Shiv Sena had opposed a tie-up with MNS. The party had refused to accede to Thackeray’s request of asking Sada Sarvankar to withdraw his candidature from the Mahim constituency, where Raj’s son Amit was contesting. Finally, Amit was defeated which further strained the relations between the two parties.

This was the first meeting between the two leaders since the assembly polls. Speaking to the media post-dinner, Shinde said: “This was a goodwill visit where we discussed current affairs, and shared many memories of our mentor Balasaheb Thackeray.”

When asked if the meeting might spell trouble for the Opposition, Shinde said: “Raj Thackeray was with us in the assembly elections and he supported Narendra Modi. Our thoughts are similar.”