Overview
- After his Delhi meeting, Eknath Shinde told party functionaries to cancel scheduled inductions from allies to avoid fresh friction.
- BJP and Shinde’s Sena agreed to clear any switches with top leadership, with BJP state leaders saying no directive came from the national leadership.
- Defections continued at the local level on Thursday, including a BJP hopeful joining the Sena in Hingoli and a Sena candidate in Jalgaon withdrawing to back the BJP, after earlier Kalyan-Dombivali entries into the BJP.
- Shinde complained about BJP state president Ravindra Chavan’s role in recruiting Sena figures, a dispute that had prompted Sena ministers to boycott a Mumbai cabinet meeting.
- Uddhav Thackeray mocked Shinde’s Delhi visit as a sign of helplessness, highlighting ongoing tensions as parties position for control of civic bodies.