Forging a new alliance? Shinde, Fadnavis invited for Raj Thackeray’s MNS Diwali celebrations today

An MNS poster on Diwali celebrations has pictures of Shinde, Fadnavis, and Raj Thackeray, triggering speculations of a new alliance between BJP, Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, and MNS ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections that are likely to be held early next year.

A BJP leader, meanwhile, said, “In politics, nobody shuts doors on anybody forever. But we have not taken any formal decision on alliance with MNS.”

However, BJP leaders have confirmed that MNS has invited Shinde and Fadnavis for the inauguration of ‘Deep Utsav’.

According to MNS, Diwali celebrations will start on Friday evening. The celebrations with the lighting of lamps will continue for a week.

A few months ago state BJP leaders, including party president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Fadnavis, and senior leader and minister Chandrakant Patil had visited Raj Thackeray’s residence separately to enquire about his well-being following hip surgery.

Earlier, this week Raj Thackeray met Shinde. Later he wrote a letter to Fadnavis requesting to withdraw candidate Murji Patel from the Andheri East by-elections. It was followed by Sharad Pawar making a similar appeal to the BJP. The BJP conceded and withdrew Patel from the fray.

In another interesting development, Pawar, Shinde, and Fadnavis had met for dinner to chalk out the strategy for the Mumbai Cricket Association elections, which were held on Thursday.

Raj Thackeray’s initiative to get Shinde and Fadnavis to his party’s Diwali celebrations is seen as a political strategy to further corner the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).