Opposites always attract public attention when they meet secretly. Former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena's blazing gun Sanjay Raut evoked unprecedented traction in the media and political circles on Saturday after the world knew about their prolonged luncheon at a star hotel in Mumbai.

The reactions spoke of a variety of possibilities, one among them being the friends-turned-foes finding a way out to sail through the future together again. While taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) single-handedly, Raut has been at the centre-stage right from the moment the thought of the Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress coming together started shaping up a year ago. The editor-politician has represented his party president Uddhav Thackeray in the negotiations that led to the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which ultimately has turned into an embarrassment for the BJP that has toppled state governments elsewhere, but hasn't really made a breakthrough despite making covert efforts to make it possible in Maharashtra. Little wonder then, that NCP boss Sharad Pawar chose to meet CM Thackeray a day after the Fadnavis-Raut meeting, sparking further gossip.