Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar at a news conference in... Read More

MUMBAI: NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray spent a considerable amount of time together on Sunday having deliberations, assuring NCP legislators of government formation by the three parties. They also asked each legislator if any of them had received any threats.

The two leaders also had a private meeting with Dhananjay Munde for 40 minutes trying to convince him to stay in NCP and support the Sena-Congress-NCP government. Late on Sunday, NCP legislators were shifted to another luxury hotel at Santacruz to prevent poaching attempts while Sena legislators may shift to another hotel soon.

Other Sena leaders including MLA Aaditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut , Eknath Shinde, Subhash Desai also addressed NCP legislators who are at hotel Renaissance in Mumbai on Sunday.

Uddhav asserted NCP MLAs that the new alliance Sena-Congress-NCP will stay for long time and will form the government soon with a full majority. Senior NCP leaders Jayant Patil , Chhagan Bhujbal, Dhananjay Munde, Sunil Tatkare were also at Renaissance with the senior Pawar. Supriya Sule , NCP MP and daughter of Pawar and his grandson, newly-elected MLA Rohit Pawar also accompanied their party chief at the hotel.

A NCP party functionary said Pawar ensured his legislators that they will form government and enquired with them whether they got threat from anyone. Some MLAs had told them that they received calls from a party leader, added a party functionary. Pawar and Thackeray had a private discussion with Munde as his name came in forefront since those NCP MLAs who had claimed to have received a call on behalf of Ajit Pawar had a meeting at Dhananjay Munde’s bungalow on Saturday before they were taken for the swearing-in.

Dhananjay is nephew of late BJP leader Gopinath Munde, who was with the BJP but later shifted to NCP, he defeated his cousin Pankaj Munde in a bitter battle in the recent assembly polls.

It was also said that Munde’s phone was not ‘reachable’ almost for half day on Saturday, however he reached for the party meeting at YB Chavan Centre in the evening. It should be noted that in two hours after the meeting, Munde tweeted that he is with Sharad Pawar and there should not be any confusion.

Meanwhile, the security has been tightened at the hotel by police. Sena is also helping NCP to keep their flock together as Sena's trade unions have active in few of the city's top hotels. Shivsainiks were also patrolling outside Hotel to take care of NCP MLAs and not allowing anyone to enter the premises without proper checking of their vehicles and belongings, said a Sena functionary.

