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Amit Shah – Uddhav Thackeray meeting: BJP chief fails to get Shiv Sena back on board

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8 years ago

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Amit Shah - Uddhav Thackeray meeting: BJP chief fails to get Shiv Sena back on board

BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday failed to get Shiv Sena back into the NDA fold for 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Shah met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as part of the ‘Sampark for Samarthan’ (Contact for Support) campaign on Wednesday. The two-hour meeting was a special case: the BJP is meeting all other NDA constituents today (Thursday, June 6) to sort out any issues or differences and work out arrangements for fighting 2019 Lok Sabha polls together.

Thackeray, however, did not budge. The Shiv Sena stuck to its stance of fighting elections on its own. BJP’s embarrassment at its master tactician Shah’s failure was apparent in the silence of the party on the outcome of the meeting. Even much of the news media refrained from reporting it.

However, a few media outlets reported Shiv Sena MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut as telling mediapersons that his party had not changed its stance.

“The decision to contest all elections in future was taken by the party’s National Executive. How can any outsider come and influence it?” Raut said.

However, he said Thackeray will make the party’s stand clear at his public meeting scheduled later on Thursday in Palghar, the Lok Sabha seat won by the BJP last week, which saw relations between the two allies plummet to an all-time low.

To drive home the point further, said media reports, the Sena has announced its candidates for the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections to Mumbai and Konkan Graduates Constituencies.

The BJP has also declared its candidates for the 25 June polls.

On its part, the BJP has displayed an air of confidence, with several leaders optimistic that the two oldest allies will join hands not only for the Lok Sabha but also the Maharashtra Assembly elections, both scheduled in 2019.

A report by news agency ANI, in fact, ran a report quoting BJP sources saying ” Amit Shah-Uddhav Thackeray meeting turns out ‘positive’.

“Shah and Thackeray held a ‘positive’ meeting at the latter’s residence ‘Matoshree’ in Mumbai, said BJP sources on Wednesday,” ANI reported.

“Meeting between BJP and Shiv Sena at ‘Matoshree’ was positive. This is the beginning of reducing tensions between both the parties. Two or three meetings are expected to happen in the coming days,” BJP sources told ANI, said the report.

In another ANI report, however, Sanjay Raut was quoted as saying, “We know what the agenda of Amit Shah ji is but Shiv Sena has passed a resolution that we’ll contest all upcoming elections on our own. There will be no change in that resolution.”

The signs were there even before the meeting. Hours before the crucial meeting between BJP national president Amit Shah and Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray on Monday, the junior partner of the ruling coalition at the Centre and in Maharashtra took a jibe at the BJP’s ‘Sampark for Samarthan’ campaign, calling it ‘too little, too late’.

A report in FinancialExpress.com quoted Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut as saying that the BJP should have done this much earlier and attributed the latest outreach on part of the senior partner as a fallout of its drubbing in bypolls.

“For ‘sampark’ we had to wait for four years… and to start this ‘sampark abhiyan’, BJP had to lose several bypolls,” he said, asserting that there was no change in the Shiv Sena’s stand that it will fight the 2019 Lok Sabha elections alone.

To a question on whether the party will give its decision a second thought if Shah seeks Shiv Sena’s support for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he replied, “We have taken a decision that in 2019 Shiv Sena will contest independently. Our party has taken a decision we are firm on our party’s stand.”

Relations between the two parties have been strained and ties between the two alliance partners deteriorated further following Sena’s defeat in the Palghar Lok Sabha bypolls, prompting an angry Sena to describe the BJP as its ‘biggest political enemy’.

For the time being, the Sena continues to be a part of the NDA governments in Maharashtra and the Centre. The Shiv Sena has 12 Ministers (5 Cabinet ranks and 7 MoS ranks) in the Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra. In the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, the party has just one representation – Anant Geete, the Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.

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PM Modi to lead Somnath Amrit Parv celebrations with grand roadshow in Gujarat

PM Modi is set to visit Somnath Temple in Gujarat for the Somnath Amrit Parv celebrations marking 75 years of the temple’s reconstruction, with a roadshow and religious ceremonies planned.

Published

13 hours ago

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May 8, 2026

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PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the Somnath Temple in Gujarat on May 11 to lead the ‘Somnath Amrit Parv’ celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the temple’s reconstruction.

According to state ministers and senior officials, the Prime Minister will take part in religious rituals, lead a public roadshow, and address a gathering during the celebrations.

The visit comes months after PM Modi attended the Somnath Swabhiman Parv held earlier this year, which commemorated 1,000 years since the first recorded attack on the temple in 1026.

Grand roadshow and cultural programmes planned

Officials said PM Modi will arrive in Somnath from Jamnagar and lead a one-kilometre roadshow from the Triveni Helipad to the statue of Veer Hamirji Gohil. The procession is expected to feature cultural dance performances from different Indian states along with displays representing the 12 Jyotirlingas.

A Suryakiran Air Show and a flower petal shower over the temple spire are also planned during the event. The Prime Minister is expected to be welcomed by Rishikumars and members of local communities dressed in traditional attire.

During his visit, PM Modi will perform rituals including Kumbhabhishek, Dhvaja Puja and Mahapuja at the temple before addressing a public gathering at Sadbhavna Ground.

Somnath reconstruction anniversary

The celebrations mark 75 years since the reconstructed Somnath Temple was inaugurated in 1951 in the presence of India’s first President Rajendra Prasad. The reconstruction effort after Independence was led under the vision of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and supported by leaders including K.M. Munshi.

State minister Jitu Vaghani said the temple’s restoration remains a symbol of national self-respect and resilience.

After the Somnath events, PM Modi is scheduled to travel to Vadodara to inaugurate the Sardardham Educational Complex. Preparations are also underway for a possible roadshow in the city later in the day.

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Mamata beater Suvendu Adhikari set to become next West Bengal CM

Suvendu Adhikari emerged as the BJP’s choice for West Bengal Chief Minister after the party’s legislature meeting in Kolkata following its historic Assembly election victory.

Published

13 hours ago

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May 8, 2026

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Suvendu-Adhikari

Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is set to become the next Chief Minister of West Bengal after being elected leader of the BJP legislature party during a key meeting in Kolkata on Thursday.

The development comes days after the BJP secured a decisive victory in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, ending the Trinamool Congress’ long rule in the state. Party leaders met in the presence of senior central leadership to finalise the chief ministerial face ahead of the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for May 9.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the legislature party meeting where Adhikari’s name was formally announced. Reports said the BJP leadership backed him after he emerged as the party’s strongest face in Bengal politics over the past few years.

Adhikari played a major role in the BJP’s campaign across the state and remained one of the party’s most aggressive leaders against the ruling Trinamool Congress. He also defeated former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur during the Assembly elections, strengthening his position within the party.

The BJP’s victory is being viewed as a major political shift in West Bengal, where the party is set to form its first government. Adhikari, once a senior Trinamool Congress leader, had joined the BJP before the 2021 Assembly elections and later became Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly.

Following the announcement, celebrations were reported outside Adhikari’s residence in East Midnapore, with party workers distributing sweets and raising slogans in support of the BJP leader.

The swearing-in ceremony of the new BJP government is expected to take place in Kolkata on May 9, where Adhikari will officially assume charge as the Chief Minister of West Bengal.

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Suvendu Adhikari emerges frontrunner for Bengal Chief Minister post

Suvendu Adhikari has emerged as the leading candidate for the West Bengal Chief Minister post as BJP prepares to form its first government in the state. Reports suggest the new cabinet may also include two deputy chief ministers.

Published

18 hours ago

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May 8, 2026

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BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has emerged as the leading contender for the post of Chief Minister in West Bengal as the party prepares to form its first government in the state following its Assembly election victory.

The BJP legislature party is scheduled to meet in Kolkata to elect its leader, a decision that is expected to formally determine the next Chief Minister. Union Home Minister Amit Shah reached Kolkata ahead of the meeting and is overseeing the selection process.

Sources cited in media reports suggest the new BJP-led government may also appoint two deputy chief ministers, a post that has remained vacant in West Bengal for nearly two decades. One of the deputy CM positions could reportedly go to a woman leader. BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul is among the names being discussed for the role.

Another deputy chief minister could be chosen from north Bengal, with former Union minister Nisith Pramanik being seen as a possible contender, according to reports. There is also speculation that the BJP leadership may consider a representative from the tribal community for a senior cabinet role.

Adhikari, who played a key role in the BJP’s election campaign, defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur during the recently concluded Assembly elections. The BJP secured a two-thirds majority in the 294-member Assembly, paving the way for its first government in West Bengal.

The swearing-in ceremony for the new government is expected to take place on May 9 in Kolkata. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and several senior BJP leaders are expected to attend the event.

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