Mumbai, (The Hindu): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah calling on Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday seems to have done little to appease the ally, with Mr. Thackeray continuing to criticise the BJP at a rally in Talasari, Palghar district, on Thursday.

Sena leaders said on Thursday the meeting would not change the party’s stand of going it alone.

“In my meeting yesterday, I clarified that Shiv Sena stands with the people. In Palghar, around six lakh votes went against the BJP. If we could win over two lakh votes in just 15 days, imagine what we can do in the next eight months. The next winner of this seat will be Shrinivas Wanga,” Mr. Thackeray said. Mr. Wanga, son of late BJP MP Chintaman Wanga, contested the by-election as the Sena candidate.

Mr. Shah, in his efforts to reach out to allies ahead of the 2019 polls, held a closed-door meeting with Mr. Thackeray on Wednesday.

Understanding issues

Referring to the BJP’s Sampark for Samarthan campaign, in which Mr. Shah is meeting various dignitaries, Mr. Thackeray said he had instead met farmers to understand their plight. “Many farmers told me they will not part with their land for infrastructure projects. One should sit and talk with people to understand issues,” the Sena chief said.

Earlier in the day, Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said leaders of no other party can change a decision taken by Mr. Thackeray. “The decision to contest all polls solo was taken by our party chief. It is only up to the Sena and its president to take the next decision,” Mr. Raut said. He added that none of speculations making the rounds were true.