Sena smoking the peace pipe with BJP is grist for social media

The U-turn by Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray in agreeing to the BJP for a pre-poll tie-up has spurred many a joke on the social media, targeting the avid photographer-turned-politician.

Thackeray, who had publicly announced that his party will go solo and have no alliance with the BJP, had to eat his words as he shared stage with BJP chief Amit Shah Monday to announce that the ruling allies have reached a pre-poll pact.

When Thackeray announced last year that the Sena would contest forthcoming elections solo, it was presented in social media as the tiger (Sena symbol) calling the shots.

After the alliance announcement Monday, NCP's Mumbai wing put up billboards near his residence, offering tributes to his announcement of 'going solo' in elections.

A social media comment read: After the killing of Avni tigress, today one more tiger has been hunted down.

Some social media posts took potshots over Thackeray's initials UT, calling him U-turn Thackeray.

Some trolls also morphed his face into old Marathi film songs, showing chief minister Devendra Fadnavis playing the hero and Uddhav as the heroine he is wooing.

At a public rally last year, Thackeray had declared that his party won't have a tie-up with the BJP. The party now appears to have given in to the 'persuasive skills' of Amit Shah and Fadnavis.

"We rotted for 25 years in the alliance with the BJP," Uddhav Thackeray had said last year, ruling out any pact with that party.

Uddhav Thackeray had also targeted BJP over Rafale deal and used Congress' jibe of 'chowkidar hi chor hai' for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.