Devendra Fadnavis and Uddhav Thackeray share flight from Mumbai to Nagpur

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray travelled together on the same regular service flight from Mumbai to Nagpur on Friday evening. The encounter between the two prominent political rivals resulted in a brief exchange of pleasantries during the flight.

Thackeray was accompanied on the journey to Nagpur by his son, MLA Aaditya Thackeray, and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut. During the flight, Raut also spoke with Chief Minister Fadnavis. Nagpur serves as the hometown of Fadnavis, who was travelling to his local constituency.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant clarified that the shared travel was entirely coincidental and not a planned meeting. He emphasized that the leaders were on a regular service flight rather than a private chartered aircraft. Sawant noted that the Chief Minister was travelling to Nagpur to his constituency.

For Thackeray, the flight to Nagpur marked the start of a three-day tour of the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. Sena (UBT) functionaries stated that the tour is designed to consolidate party support and connect with workers in key areas.

Specifically, Thackeray is scheduled to meet party workers in the Lok Sabha constituencies represented by the six rebel MPs who recently left to join the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde. The tour will take him through Yavatmal, Hingoli, Parbhani, and Dharashiv, before concluding with a visit to Shirdi.

This regional tour follows Thackeray's recent efforts to secure his base within the city of Mumbai itself. On Sunday, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief visited local party shakhas in North East Mumbai, focusing on the Bhandup and Kanjurmarg neighbourhoods. Both of these areas are part of the constituency represented by rebel MP Sanjay Dina Patil.