MUMBAI: A late-night meeting between Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior leaders from both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday set off another round of political speculation over the future course of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), with opposition ally Shiv Sena (UBT) demanding greater clarity on the developments.According to political sources, NCP (SP) state president Jayant Patil met Fadnavis at his official residence, Varsha, after first calling on party chief Sharad Pawar at Silver Oak.Senior ruling NCP leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare also met the chief minister separately.None of the leaders disclosed the agenda of the meetings, fuelling speculation over a possible political realignment.Seeking to end the speculation, NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule told reporters that Jayant Patil had met the chief minister only to discuss development-related issues and asserted there was “nothing political” about the meeting.She also ruled out any move by her party towards the BJP-led NDA, saying no such discussions were underway and that the party had neither held talks with the NDA nor been approached on the issue.Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, however, said repeated meetings between leaders of the ruling alliance and NCP (SP) were naturally giving rise to doubts among workers of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).He maintained that allies should remain transparent with each other to avoid confusion and said the opposition alliance expected clarity from its partners.The meetings come days after Sharad Pawar’s interaction with deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde had triggered similar political speculation.While the NCP (SP) has consistently maintained that its meetings with ruling alliance leaders are not politically motivated, the latest developments have once again revived debate over Maharashtra’s shifting political equations.
