As the BJP and Shiv Sena top brass worked on a patch-up away from public glare, Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, shedding one-upmanship in public, deputed former Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi to a meeting of NDA MPs on the vice-presidential election on Wednesday.

Sources disclosed that former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Bal Thackeray had spoken to each other on phone during the last two days. NDA nominee for vice-presidency Najma Heptullah has also been in touch with Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray to seek support.

As if to prepare the ground for making these developments public, Joshi told a group of reporters, “We want that some big leader from their (BJP) side should approach us for support.” When asked why did they need to be approached as a part of the NDA when Heptullah was the alliance candidate, Joshi said it “would be a good gesture” in the backdrop of recent strains in the ties. However, Joshi said even if BJP leaders did not reach out to them, “we can still vote for Najmaji”. But, any announcement on voting would be made by Bal Thackeray, he added.

There was no word from the Thackerays on Wednesday, there being still one more day for them to take the final call. However, there was an air of optimism in the BJP camp. Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said, “Joshiji’s participation in today’s meeting speaks louder than words.” She did not claim Sena backing, but she expressed the hope that “they would support us”. Swaraj pointed out that the Sena had kept away from NDA parleys ahead of presidential polls because they had decided to vote for UPA-Left candidate Pratibha Patil. Now that the Sena representative had shown up at the NDA meeting, one could draw one’s own conclusion.

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