After a series of incidents that had widened a rift between CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's respective parties, the two senior leaders attempted rapprochement late Wednesday night. BJP's top leader Amit Shah had asked NDA constituents to ensure coordination and repair strained ties before it was too late ahead of the state polls.

People in the know said the three-hour meeting was expected to ease the tension that was very evident between Shiv Sena (Shinde) and Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) over many issues of governance and alliance politics. The interaction between Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar, and their respective associates at the chief minister’s official residence Varsha was held in the backdrop of events that had made the cracks public.