File photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and BJP President Amit Shah. (Photo: PTI)
Shiv Sena's Anant Geete, who was reportedly scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to discuss the widening rift with the BJP, has been recalled to Mumbai by Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, say sources.
The recalling of Mr Geete, the only representative of the party in the Union cabinet, could be an indication that not all is well between the two former partners.
The two parties have not been able to arrive at an agreement over the Shiv Sena's role in the Maharashtra government, and the party had decided to send Mr Geete as an emissary to Delhi to sort out issues with the BJP before the proposed Cabinet expansion tomorrow, said sources.
Sources had earlier said Shiv Sena leader Anil Desai's name has been confirmed as the party's choice for the Cabinet expansion. But the party is not sending the name yet as it wants the BJP to first give it a formula for power-sharing at the state level, they said.
The reason behind Mr Thackeray's reported decision to recall Mr Geete was not immediately clear.
The Shiv Sena won 63 seats in the recently held state assembly polls while the BJP won 123 seats in the 288-member assembly. The two parties had ended their 25-year-old alliance just before the Assembly election last month and the BJP fell short of the majority.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is reportedly keen on joining hands with the Shiv Sena, and he earlier told NDTV that he was confident about an forming an alliance with the former ally.
Amid the rift, the Shiv Sena has been threatening to sit in the Opposition if the BJP did not give it 'fair' and 'respectable' representation in the Maharashtra government.
Top Shiv Sena sources earlier told NDTV that the party will meet on Sunday and take a final decision. The party is worried that if it joins the government without its 'fair share', it would lose out on the Leader of Opposition post as well.