As it emerged that talks of government formation had gained momentum after the Mahayuti leaders’ Thursday night meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took a sudden break on Friday to visit his native village in Satara district. The Mahayuti activities are expected to speed up after the weekend.

Call it an inauspicious Amavasya effect, or a dire need for rest in the wake of the poll verdict that has kept him out of the race for CM, Shinde’s absence caused the deferring of a meeting to be held on Friday between him, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar. The three stakeholders in Maharashtra’s latest edition of the game of thrones would meet after Shinde’s weekend recuperation. It is said they might travel to Delhi again. When asked, Shinde’s party colleague Uday Samant said the CM had gone to his native to rest as he was not feeling well.