India, July 18 -- Tremors in the corridors of power grew stronger on Thursday, a day after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, speaking in a lighter vein in the state legislative council, invited Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray to join the treasury benches. Barely 24 hours later, the two leaders were closeted in the chamber of legislative council chairperson Ram Shinde - a meeting that left political observers wondering whether Fadnavis's light-hearted remark was, in fact, a precursor to serious political realignments in Maharashtra.

The meeting, which could signal a thaw in relations between Fadnavis and Thackeray, comes against the backdrop of a simmering cold war between Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde. It's a wa...