Striking a conciliatory note after days of strained ties over sharing of assembly seats, Shiv Sena organ Saamna on Monday claimed in its editorial that the bonds between the two saffron allies were strong and long-lasting.
Sources in the BJP said Thackeray might call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi next week to allay any apprehensions that the saffron juggernaut of a few months ago was now caught in quicksand.
The state BJP parliamentary party met in the city on Monday to finalize candidates for the assembly seats which are with it.
"The Sena-BJP will finalize its seats by September 10," a key BJP functionary said after the conclave.
Thackeray had invited Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Khadse, Vinod Tawde and other BJP leaders to Matoshree on Friday for seat negotiations.
The state BJP wants its share of 119 assembly seats to go up by at least 15, but all through August the Shiv Sena took a tough stance and refused to consider such a demand. The state BJP has also set its sights on the CM's chair, which the Shiv Sena thinks it has a rightful claim to as it is the senior partner in the alliance at the state level.
"That Thackeray should agree to hold talks with Maharashtra BJP leader is an indication of the Sena climbdown over seat-sharing issue," a senior BJP functionary said. "It is also a signal that Thackeray has given up his tough stand that he would meet none other than [BJP national president] Amit Shah to ink the seat-sharing agreement."
Matoshree had been insisting that in keeping with protocol, Thackeray, being the party president, would not hold talks with BJP state-level leaders.
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