Uddhav Thackeray saved the day, claims Sena

The Shiv Sena claimed on Tuesday that party president Uddhav Thackeray managed to fend off a proposal for division of Maharashtra while preventing the BJP-Sena state government from collapsing at the same time.

"In the afternoon, the situation was such that the alliance government could have collapsed. The Congress and NCP leaders had chalked out a plan to take advantage of the differences between BJP and Sena (over creation of separate Vidarbha). Sena cabinet ministers then rushed (to Thackeray family residence Matoshree), discussed the situation with Thackeray, facilitated his discussion with (former Congress chief minister) Prithviraj Chavan and left for Vidhan Bhavan," stated a Sena communique.

Sena ministers also held discussions with senior Congress and NCP leaders and when things were crystallising towards tabling a resolution for a unified Maharashtra, it was decided that Uddhav should be consulted. According to Sena leaders, Uddhav said it would not be correct to do so, as even if the three parties held a majority in the legislature, BJP members could provoke others to make statements against a unified Maharashtra, which would not be appropriate if it came on record.