File photo: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Prime Minister Narendra Modi
The Shiv Sena and the BJP have failed to reach an agreement on their relationship in Maharashtra - which means that when the Prime Minister's cabinet is enlarged, a leader from the Sena is unlikely to be among the new ministers.
The BJP had asked the Sena to nominate one leader for the Cabinet. Currently, the Sena had one minister in the Union government - Anant Geete. He was called to Mumbai on Saturday evening from Delhi by the Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, indicating the tension between the two parties has hit the danger mark.
Mr Geete was expected to meet the PM about what the Sena wants if it joins the government in Maharashtra, where the BJP's Devendra Fadnavis must take a trust vote on Wednesday.
Mr Fadnavis heads a minority government - the BJP's first ever on its own, in Maharashtra. Even if the Sena does not support the BJP, Sharad Pawar's party has said it will abstain during the vote, which will allow Mr Fadnavis to remain Chief Minister.
The Sena and the BJP ended a 25-year alliance ahead of the election. To reunite, the Sena expects to join the Maharashtra government but wants the post of Home Minister and important portfolios like Finance, terms that the BJP feels are not justified for a junior partner.
Mr Thackeray has reportedly said that if most of his conditions are not accepted, he would prefer for his party to serve as the opposition rather than accepting what the BJP deems as his party's entitlement.
However, the reason that negotiations have continued is because the BJP would not like to be dependent in the long-term on Mr Pawar, not known for his dependability or loyalty as a partner.
The Sena will hold a meeting in Mumbai on Sunday to decide what happens next.
A sign of the vast differences with the BJP lies in the fact that while the PM's party has said it would like to induct Suresh Prabhu of the Sena in the cabinet, Mr Thackeray would prefer to see Anil Desai, a trusted aide, move to the Centre.