Amit Shah talks with Uddhav Thackeray, may visit Mumbai after Diwali

BJP president Amit Shah called up Uddhav Thackeray on Friday, amid Shiv Sena’s new-found buoyancy following the nature of the electoral verdict in Maharashtra. A source said that Shah indicated to the Sena chief about his plans to visit Mumbai after Diwali.

Shah’s call came a day after the Sena chief demanded a 50:50 power-sharing agreement and lined up a wish list, which included more ministerial berths in the Union Cabinet and a free hand for Sena in the next Brihan Mumbai Corporation polls.

There is also guesswork that the Sena and NCP leaders were in touch. The scheduled meeting of newly-elected Sena MLAs on Saturday is expected to take a tactically vague position.

Sena spokesperson Saamana, meanwhile, said that the Thackerayled Sena held the “keys to power” in Maharashtra. Saamana executive editor Sanjay Raut also spiced up the scene by tweeting a cartoon which depicted a tiger (symbolising the Sena) wearing a clock locket (NCP’s symbol) sniffing a lotus (BJP’s symbol) with a comment in Hindi, “Amazing satire painting! Please don’t mind, it’s Diwali!” The Maharashtra verdict theoretically gives Sena an option to swing between BJP and NCP-Congress.