As the Shiv Sena was running against time on Monday to cobble up numbers to form the government in Maharashtra, party chief Uddhav Thackeray deputed his close aide and Sena secretary Milind Narvekar to hold talks with the Congress leadership in New Delhi.
Narvekar, who has been by Thackeray’s side for over 25 years, is known for his crisis management and networking skills within the party.
On Monday, Shiv Sena leaders Narvekar and Anil Desai flew to New Delhi to meet Ahmed Patel, Congress leader and political adviser to party president Sonia Gandhi, with the official message and request for support from Thackeray, who was meeting NCP chief Sharad Pawar around the same time in Mumbai.
During the meeting, Narvekar connected Patel and Thackeray over the phone, and later with Sonia Gandhi.
A party functionary, who is privy to the details, said, “The task was to get the support of the Congress party and not letters of support on the same day; it is not realistic. The meeting and subsequent phone call with Sonia ji got things moving and today the leaders of Congress party came down to Mumbai to discuss with the NCP.”
A party official familiar with the developments said Narvekar had helped Sena chief steer through many challenges over the years, and the 50-year-old “got the ball” rolling for Thackeray to engage and forge an alliance.
