Uddhav Thackeray's meeting with BJP's Chandrakant Patil triggers speculations

Patil, a former BJP state unit chief, is Maharashtra's higher and technical education minister. Political sources said that it was a courtesy meeting as Patil is the parliamentary affairs minister.

Mumbai: In a development that triggered political speculations, senior BJP minister Chandrakant Patil met former Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray in the Vidhan Bhavan complex in Mumbai on Thursday.

Patil, a former BJP state unit chief, is Maharashtra's higher and technical education minister.

Patil, who is also the parliamentary affairs minister, welcomed Thackeray at the cabin of leader of the opposition in the council Ambadas Danve and Shiv Sena MLC Anil Parab.

When Thackeray, an MLC, was headed towards the Council, he exchanged greetings with BJP's deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as they waited for the lift.

The monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature commenced on Thursday.

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar would table the State Budget 2024-25 on Friday.

Political sources said that it was a courtesy meeting as Patil is the parliamentary affairs minister.

Rejecting all political and media speculation, SS (UBT) MLA Vaibhav Naik termed it as ‘mere coincidence and nothing else’ that Thackeray-Fadnavis happened to travel in the legislature building lift.