Uddhav Thackeray snubs Amit Shah over alliance for 2019, says no decision for now

Mumbai: BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at his residence Matoshree. Shah was accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. However, as per Zee Media sources, no consensus could be arrived at between Shah and Uddhav on an alliance between the two political parties.

The BJP chief reached Uddhav's residence at 7:45 pm and the meeting lasted for 2 hours and 20 minutes. The duo also held a closed-door meeting, wherein no one else was present. As per sources, Shah asked Uddhav for support and placed an offer of an alliance before him. In response, Uddhav put forward some issues before the BJP chief, which apparently included compliant against Fadnavis. 

Uddhav is said to have told Shah that Shiv Sena was being given a step-motherly treatment in Maharashtra and it was difficult to run the government in the state. Sources said that Shah assured Uddhav on these fronts. However, Uddhav did not give any commitment on the two parties contesting elections together and told Shah that it was difficult to take a decision at this juncture. According to sources, he told Shah that he would think about an alliance with the BJP if there are some changes and improvements in the future.

Met Shri Uddhav Thackeray ji at Matoshree in Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/enLthz8Ykg — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 6, 2018

The two allies have been bickering for quite some time. They contested the May 28 bypolls to Palghar Lok Sabha constituency of Maharashtra separately and engaged in a bitter campaign against each other. After facing defeat in the bypolls at the hands of the BJP, the Shiv Sena labelled the ally party as its "biggest political enemy". 

The Shiv Sena has also already declared that it will go alone in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. In Wednesday's editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamna', the Shiv Sena questioned the BJP's outreach programme after suffering defeat in bypolls in various states. The editorial maintained that the Sena will fight all the upcoming elections alone.

The two parties were allies for over two-and-half decades before they severed ties ahead of the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly polls, only to join hands later to form the government under the leadership of Fadnavis in the state.

(Reporting by Rakesh Trivedi)