Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday visited Varsha the official residence of his Maharashtra peer Eknath Shinde, to offer prayers to Lord Ganesh. The 10-day festival dedicated to the elephant-headed deity began with Ganesh Chaturthi on September 7 and will end with Anant Chaturdashi on September 17. On the fifth day of the festivities, the BJP leader participated in the ‘aarti’ at Varsha, Shinde's office said in a statement. Shinde's son and Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde and former Lok Sabha member Rahul Shewale were also present on the occasion, it added.
The two leaders had an one-to-one meeting for around half an hour.“It was a scheduled visit. He came at around 8 p.m. and stayed till 9 p.m. He took Ganesh darshan, participated in the aarti. Thereafter, the two Chief Ministers had a meal together. It was only the two of them. Their meeting lasted for around half an hour,” an official spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the MVA is reportedly nearing an agreement on a seat-sharing formula for the 36 assembly seats in Mumbai. The Indin Express recently reported that Uddhav Sena may get 15 seats, Congress 14, and Sharad Pawar's NCP 7. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday refuted the rumours of an internal rift within the ruling Mahayuti alliance -- comprising his Shiv Sena, the BJP and NCP (Ajit Pawar) -- and said that all partners will be given equal importance in the upcoming Assembly elections.
"A positive discussion is underway and everyone will be taken care of in the Maharashtra elections. All Mahayuti partners will be given equal opportunity and importance. The Mahayuti government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, is focused on the development of Maharashtra," Shinde said while speaking exclusively to India Today TV.