Chief minister Eknath Shinde rejected former CM Uddhav Thackeray’s demand for mid-term Assembly elections, but added that the local body polls are expected to be delayed further. Shinde said this in New Delhi where he, along with deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, met PM Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda on Friday and Saturday. 

In another development that took place when the duo was in the capital, around 10 Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MPs met on Friday night at their colleague Krupal Tumane’s residence to plan a strategy to sit away from Uddhav Thackeray. Two MPs, Bhavana Gawali and Rahul Shewale, have sounded a warning by asking Thackeray to let Sena MPs vote for a BJP candidate Draupadi Murmu in the presidential election slated on July 18. However, Tumane denied having held any such meeting.