Amit Shah meets Uddhav Thackeray, at later's residence

Amit Shah meets Shiv Sena's chief Uddhav Thackeray on June 6, 2018

BJP president Amit Shah walked into Shiv Sena's chief Uddhav Thackeray's residence in Mumbai in an attempt to talk the Shiv Sena chief regarding his threat to contest the 2019 elections separately posed many uneasy questions.

• Only on June 3, 2018, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut described BJP as its biggest "political enemy", in one of the sharpest attacks after the recently held Lok Sabha bypoll in Palghar. The country "does not" want the duo of PM Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, he wrote in party's mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
• Shah, along with Maharashtra CM Fadnavis etc had called on Madhuri Dixit at her residence and presented a booklet containing the achievements of the BJP-led central government in the last four years to her during the meeting. During his meeting with Ratan Tata at his residence, Shah had presented a similar booklet.
• A day later Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam asked Dixit & Tata, in his separate letters, that the booklet were a “bundle of lies” and appealed to them not to fall for blatant lies of the BJP and its chief. 
• The issue of fighting elections together in 2019 remains unresolved, as Uddhav Thackeray was non-committal, and more meetings are planned in the coming days to improve relations. If the BJP and Shiv Sena decide to fight elections separately it is advantage for the Congress and NCP combine.
• Relations between BJP and Shiv Sena hit rock bottom in recent times. Last month's by-elections, the two allies fought against each other. Shiv Sena has signaled that as the ties between their people and the BJP have snapped. For the BJP, relationships are business calculations they opined.
• The by-elections to the Lok Sabha seats of Palghar and Bhandara-Gondiya clearly show that Shiv Sena, which is still undecided over its support for the BJP, can play spoilsport in at least 30 of 46 seats in Maharashtra.
• The meeting between the two leaders is aimed at cutting a political deal, nothing else. Shiv Sena going into sulking mode, indicates that the Shiv Sena was acting pricey to negotiate a better deal for itself.
• Shiv Sena isn't the only NDA ally to be visited by Mr Shah to mend fences. Mr Shah will be meeting with Akali Dal chief PS Badal and son Sukhbir very soon. Mr. Badal, however, prepped this meeting with a message to other allies to stand together as the general elections are in a year, they should resolve differences to strengthen the NDA to emerge victorious, Mr Badal had stated.

Anyone who is following Maharashtra's political space knows that Shiv Sena will not bridge a pre-poll alliance with its BJP for 2019, as they reiterated the meet as a ‘drama’. Amit Shah's strategy seems to make Shiv Sena officially break the alliance and then make Shiv Sena explain to voters where they stand, and not resort to fence-sitting anymore. In the 2014 Assembly elections, the Shiv Sena with 19.3% votes won 63 seats of the 282 seats. BJP secured 27.8% of the votes and won 122 seats. And Congress and NCP, secured 17.95% & 17.24% votes and won 42 & 41 seats respectively. If Congress and NCP come together, and Shiv Sena goes on its own, it will be impossible for BJP to reach the winning mark. For the kind of arrogance and audacity displayed by Modi, Amit Shah and BJP in the last 4 years, neglecting and insulting allies, no one would like stay put with BJP in NDA. Nitish Kumar's humiliation is the unforgettable example. But politics & power makes strange bed fellows. If Shiv Sena goes on its own and causes benefits to INC & NCP leading to defeat of BJP & Modi in 2019, Modi & Shah has to blame themselves for their headstrong behavior with allies.