Even as the ongoing state elections are seen as a mid-term referendum on the Central government led by Narendra Modi, regional parties seem to have begun preparations for the general elections in 2024.
Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao met his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai on February 20. The meeting came days after KCR launched multiple attacks on the Prime Minister, from questioning the Union Budget, to criticising Modi's dress sense.
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The chiefs of Shiv Sena and Telangana Rashtra Samithi met at Varsha, the Maharashtra CM's official residence. They were accompanied by many leaders of their respective parties. Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut, and actor Prakash Raj, who has been a vocal critic of the Modi administration, were also present.
Thackeray and KCR were also seen sitting and talking in the garden of the Varsha bungalow. Thackeray's younger son Tejas was also seen in the photographs.
Ranjith Reddy, a parliamentarian belonging to the TRS, tweeted that the visit is aimed at discussing the formation of a 'Third Front', in the country. The phrase Third Front is usually used to refer to a coalition of regional parties, excluding big national parties like BJP and Congress.
In honour of KCR's visit, posters were put up across Mumbai to announce the Telangana CM's visit, and his meeting with Thackeray, as well as Sharad Pawar, whose Nationalist Congress Party, or NCP, is part of the Maharashtra ruling alliance.