Sena miffed over Gadkari-Raj Thackeray meet

Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari's offer to Raj Thackeray not to field candidates in the Lok Sabha polls may not have elicited any response from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief but has ruffled feathers of an ally, Shiv Sena. The Sena said the BJP move reflected badly on continuation of the alliance. "If a senior leader from BJP supports Raj Thackeray or Sharad Pawar (of the Nationalist Congress Party) , it can affect the alliance," Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said. Gadkari, who enjoys a good rapport with Raj Thackeray, had on Monday met at a suburban five-star hotel, triggering speculation the BJP was trying to win over the MNS chief into the National Democratic Alliance for the coming Lok Sabha elections. Gadkari, however, said there was no reason for the Sena to be annoyed by the meeting.