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.

As far as the Sena’s insistence on the BJP clearing the air on their alliance is concerned, the current mood in the party is to let it pass. “When BJP leaders are asserting time and again that they consider us a part of the NDA and they continue to invite us to meetings as before, their position is clear,” sources in the Sena said.

“We don’t think it is an issue between us anymore,” they added.

The sources did not expect any trouble from two Maharashtra BJP leaders, general secretary Gopinath Munde and state president Nitin Gadkari, who had been critical of Sena in the recent past. They claimed that the BJP high command had reined them in.