Mumbai, April 25 Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday debunked reports claiming a secret midnight meeting took place between him and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray at his official residence 'Varsha' bungalow.
The clarification comes amid escalating political heat ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council elections.
Speculation began after a post by the social media handle 'Prabuddh Bharat' claimed that Thackeray visited the Chief Minister's residence late at night.
The post suggested the meeting was centred on ensuring an unopposed Legislative Council election to prevent "horse-trading".
CM Fadnavis clarified that no such meeting occurred and emphasised that there is no need for secrecy between the two leaders.
He stated that if he and Uddhav Thackeray were to meet, there would be no need to do it covertly and that they could meet openly.
He added that there are currently no issues between them that require hiding from the public.
The Chief Minister slammed the handles spreading the news, calling them "liars" and stating that legal notices would be issued to those intentionally circulating false information.
Earlier, when questioned about the meeting between CM Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut offered a cryptic response.
He stated that whether a meeting took place between Uddhav Thackeray and CM Fadnavis is something only those two leaders can confirm.
The political stir follows the announcement of elections for nine seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council on May 12.
Uddhav Thackeray’s current term will end on May 13, but allies within the Maha Vikas Aghadi are publicly urging him to seek re-election.
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction) leader and Member of Parliament Supriya Sule recently took to social media to formally request Thackeray’s candidacy.
She stated that the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction) earnestly requests that former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray contest the Legislative Council elections, adding that he is a senior and experienced leader whose presence will benefit both the House and the state, and expressing hope that he considers the request positively.
While the Maha Vikas Aghadi pushes for Thackeray's nomination, the ruling Mahayuti alliance remains firm that any political dialogue, if it were to happen, would be a matter of public record and not a midnight rendezvous.
Incidentally, state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal and Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar also extended their support to Uddhav Thackeray’s nomination.
However, Uddhav Thackeray has not yet revealed his stand on whether he will seek re-election or nominate someone else.
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