Uddhav Thackeray meets Devendra Fadnavis amidst political buzz

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday, just a day after the BJP leader's tongue-in-cheek invitation for Thackeray to consider joining the ruling alliance. The meeting, which lasted approximately 20 minutes, took place in the chamber of Legislative Council Chairperson Ram Shinde, with Uddhav Thackeray accompanied by his son, former minister Aaditya Thackeray.

During the discussion, key issues such as the controversial three-language policy and the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly were deliberated. Aaditya Thackeray stated that they presented Fadnavis with a compilation of articles by various journalists and editors opposing the implementation of a three-language policy from Class 1. Uddhav Thackeray specifically handed over a book titled 'Why do we need Hindi?', a collection of articles by Maharashtra editors, to Fadnavis, who reportedly suggested submitting a copy to Narendra Jadhav, the head of the committee reviewing the policy.

The meeting comes in the wake of Devendra Fadnavis's public remark on Wednesday during a farewell function for Leader of the Opposition in the Council, Ambadas Danve. Fadnavis had light-heartedly stated that there was no scope for the BJP to join the Opposition until 2029, but suggested Uddhav Thackeray could "think about the scope of coming to this side." This high-profile interaction also follows Uddhav Thackeray's recent reunion with his cousin Raj Thackeray after more than two decades, signaling potential political realignments ahead of the crucial Mumbai municipal elections.