Uddhav Thackeray to return to NDA? Devendra Fadnavis drops BIG hint on ex-ally’s ‘ghar wapsi’

Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena had walked out of an alliance with the BJP in 2019 over its demand for the CM's post. (File Photo)

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said former ally Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena inherently had a “saffron DNA” and there was bound to some level of discomfort among leaders of his party over the “green cloak” that he had taken over his head.

During an interaction with CNN-News18 a day after taking oath as the 18th Maharashtra CM, Fadnavis was asked whether he believed it was possible that Uddhav and his faction of the Shiv Sena could realign with the NDA.

Fadnavis said that while Mahayuti enjoyed absolute majority in the Assembly, rendering the Sena (UBT)’s presence meaningless, Uddhav and his party were inherently driven by the Hindutva ideology at its core.

“Mahayuti has a clear majority in the state. But Uddhav Thackeray is driven by the Hindutva ideology but has covered himself with a green cloak. It is natural for leaders of his faction of the Sena to be uncomfortable with it,” Fadnavis said.

Notably, the BJP and Shiv Sena had been long-term allies until Uddhav decided to walk out of the alliance after the Assembly polls in 2019 over his demand to be made Chief Minister after the NDA won a majority in the state.

The Shiv Sena (then undivided) formed a government in alliance with the Congress and NCP (then united) with Uddhav as the Chief Minister. Less than halfway into his term, Uddhav had to step down ahead of a court-ordered floor test after Eknath Shinde led a rebellion against the then CM and joined hands with the BJP along with a majority of the Shiv Sena’s MLAs.

The BJP and Shinde Sena formed a government and Shinde was appointed the Chief Minister while Fadnavis took oath as his deputy. Ajit Pawar did a ‘Shinde’ on his uncle Sharad Pawar and split the NCP to join the NDA less than a year later and eventually became the Deputy CM as well.

Asked who between the Shiv Sena and NCP he saw as a natural alliance partner for the BJP, Fadnavis said, “The alliance with Shiv Sena is natural. With NCP, it is a political alliance.”