New Delhi:
BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to repair its tensed relationship with the disgruntled ally ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
"BJP President Amit Shah met Shiv Sena chief Uddav Thackeray at 'Matoshree' in Mumbai," the news agency ANI reported.
The Thackeray-Shah meeting is significant because the two allies have been bickering for quite some time.
Shah, accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, met Thackeray at his residence Matoshree.
Mumbai: BJP President Amit Shah met Shiv Sena chief Uddav Thackeray at 'Matoshree' pic.twitter.com/P6vmlHNa1I
— ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2018
Though there is no official word regarding the meeting so far, according to a BJP source the discussion was "positive" and would help reduce the tension between the two allies significantly.
The parties are expected to have two or three more meetings in near future, according to the source.
There were also reports that the Thackeray-Shah meeting was a part of BJP’S 'Sampark for Samarthan' (contact for support) campaign, in the run-up to 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Earlier in the day, Shah along with state BJP chief Raosaheb Danve met Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit-Nene and industrialist Ratan Tata and sought support for Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
It was pleasant meeting the noted bollywood actress @MadhuriDixit and Dr. Shriram Nene as a part of "Sampark For Samarthan" initiative at their home in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Have discussed the achievements and path breaking initiatives of PM @narendramodi govt in last 4 years. pic.twitter.com/slBh5mXAf6
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 6, 2018
Following the launch of 'Sampark for Samarthan', Shah had also met former Army chief Dalbir Singh Suhag and Subhash Kashyap on May 29. He also met cricket legend Kapil Dev later.
The campaign aims to inform people about various government initiatives, which have resulted in lifting people's living standards as a lot of work had been done to remove the problems people faced in villages and to help the poor live a better life.