BJP chief calls up Uddhav as ties head downhill

A day after Shiv Sena announced fielding candidates in UP and other states, BJP president Rajnath Singh today reached out to Uddhav Thackeray even as the Sena Chief ticked off BJP for "insulting" L K Advani over the ticket issue, reflecting strained ties.
Singh called up Uddhav to discuss Sena's desire to field its candidates in other parts of the country, an issue which has not gone down well with BJP, sources said.
They added that the Sena Chief told Rajnath Singh that his party's state units are putting pressure on the party to field candidates.
Uddhav has not given any assurance not to field Sena candidates in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where BJP is putting all its weight to win the maximum number of seats in its bid to form the next government at the Centre.

The relations between BJP and Shiv Sena have strained recently after former BJP Chief Nitin Gadkari's overtures to MNS Chief Raj Thackeray, Uddhav's estranged cousin and political adversary in Maharashtra.
Though BJP has been maintaining that there is no rift and all is well between the two old allies, Uddhav has not taken Gadkari's overtures to Raj in good stead.

Adding insult to injury, the Sena chief today questioned why BJP took so long to decide on Advani's Lok Sabha seat and said while Narendra Modi's era has begun, it does not mean that it is the end of Advani's era.

"Advani's name should have been in the first list of BJP Lok Sabha candidates. However, this did not happen. One who built the party and showed it days of glory was kept waiting."
"Why should BJP take so long to decide on Advani constituency. Doing so is his insult," the Sena president said in an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
Responding to Sena's remarks in 'Saamana', Rajnath Singh said neither his own name nor that of the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi appeared in the party's first list.
He said the names of both the leaders of Opposition were also not announced in the first list.