Reaching out to the influential Gujarati community before the BMC elections, the Shiv Sena has managed to draw in the BJP's bete noir in Gujarat and Patidar community leader, Hardik Patel into it's fold. Patel, who has taken on the BJP in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state, may also be among the Shiv Sena's leading faces in Gujarat assembly polls. Patel visited Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's residence of Matoshree in Bandra East on Tuesday noon. Draped in saffron, Patel, who was flanked by Uddhav, referred to the Shiv Sena and Thackeray's as "friends" and said he had paid respects to late party chief Bal Thackeray. Uddhav was non committal on the Shiv Sena quitting the BJP led dispensations.

Source: dna February 07, 2017 09:15 UTC