Let’s Talk, Said Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray to BJP. Now, Contact Made: Sources

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Mumbai, Oct 19, 2014 (NDTV): As the BJP decides how it should form the government in Maharashtra, where it won its best-ever result today, party president Amit Shah has spoken on the phone to Uddhav Thackeray, said sources.

The call was made after Mr Thackeray said, somewhat sulkily, that his former ally had not contacted him about a possible reconciliation.

"They can get in touch if they want," said Mr Thackeray, though he added, "if they want, they can go with the NCP."  

Mr Thackeray, 54, was referring to Sharad Pawar’s party which openly said this afternoon that it is willing to back a BJP government with external support in Maharashtra. The BJP and Sena ended a 25-year alliance in September.

Whether a reunion should be forged was discussed by the BJP’s top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a meeting in Delhi this evening.

The BJP has won 123 seats in Maharashtra; it needs another 22 to form the government. The Sena has placed second with 63 seats.

Sources in the BJP say their shared history and ideology makes the Sena "a natural fit". In contrast, Mr Pawar has been an ally of the BJP’s arch rival, the Congress, though that collaboration also ended unhappily ahead of the state election.

Sources in the Sena said the party is willing to accept the post of Deputy Chief Minister, and is open to negotiations over other key portfolios - indicating a new found-flexibility for Mr Thackeray, who went on the offensive against the BJP, with a litany of angry remarks at rallies. However, he did not extricate the Sena’s lone minister in the union government, signaling that the break-up that took place in Maharashtra was not irreversible.

It was Mr Thackeray’s refusal to accord the BJP the status of senior partner that drove their break-up. After its spectacular result in May’s national election, the BJP was determined to recalibrate the alliance in Maharashtra.