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Updated: Nov 18, 2019 03:40 IST

Amidst the tussle to form the government in Maharashtra, power politics was in full swing on the seventh death anniversary of Shiv Sena founder late Balasaheb Thackeray in Mumbai on Sunday.

Leaders of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) paid homage to Bal Thackeray, both through messages and by making personal visits to Shiv Tirth, the memorial at Shivaji Park in Dadar west.

Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sena’s former ally, also joined in to pay rich tributes to the late Sena supremo, who passed away on this day in 2012. “Balasaheb Thackeray raised his voice for the self-respect and pride of ‘Marathi Manoos’. He was a courageous personality and a unique orator who enjoyed the endless affection of his followers. We bow down to him,” NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who was in Pune for a party meeting, said. Congress leaders too paid homage and recalled Bal Thackeray’s services to the state and its people.

Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi, sons Aaditya and Tejas, family members and party leaders visited Shivaji Park and offered floral tributes.

Later, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who earlier said in a tweet that “Balasaheb has taught us self-respect”, accompanied by his former ministerial colleagues paid floral tributes. Some workers of the Sena, which recently snapped ties with the BJP, shouted in Marathi Fadnavis’s assembly poll campaign slogan, “I will be back (as CM),” along with Sena’s “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ki jai” war cry.

For his part, Fadnavis, who resigned as CM last week, also tweeted a video of Bal Thackeray’s select speeches with his own voice-over offering tributes to the Sena founder.

In his response, Sena MP Sanjay Raut said, “We don’t wish to be taught about pride. The next CM will be from the Shiv Sena.”

The Congress-NCP and Sena are currently engaged in finalising an upcoming alliance before forming the state government.

The NCP has said a decision on government formation by the proposed Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena combine will be taken in the next couple of few days. NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik told mediapersons that Pawar will meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday, followed by a meeting of the top leaders of both the parties on Tuesday. “Thereafter, the government formation process will be finalised,” Malik said.