Mumbai Bharatiya Janata Party chief Ashish Shelar's meeting with MNS president Raj Thackeray on Monday gave a fresh boost to the speculation about a possible poll tie-up between the two parties.
On the face of it, Shelar said meetings keep taking place between old friends. He, however, added that "details will be shared at an appropriate time".
"Raj Thackeray and I have been friends for a long time. We also meet and discuss some other topics. We will reveal certain details at the right time," Shelar told reporters after calling upon Thackeray at his residence in Dadar.
Political circles in Maharashtra are abuzz with speculation that BJP may join hands with MNS to divide Marathi votes in a bid to cut Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena to size in the city.
A delegation of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leaders recently met state deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
"Both parties (BJP and MNS) are friendly but no discussion on an alliance had taken place. The (political) picture will become clear in the coming days and well ahead of the Lok Sabha elections," Fadnavis had said. -- PTI