New Delhi: What could be seen as a key development in Maharashtra struggle tale, senior Congress leader and party president Sonia Gandhi loyalist Ahmed Patel met Union Minister and former BJP national president Nitin Gadkari in his residence on Wednesday. This comes a day after the RSS threw its weight behind the Union minister as the troubleshooter to broker peace with a sulking Shiv Sena.

However, after coming out of the Gadkari residence, Patel, who is often credited for drawing out political strategies through backroom interaction, denied discussing Maharashtra politics with the Union Minister. "I did not even discuss 'M' about Maharashtra politics... I was here to discuss about farmers distress," Patel told reporters.

Watch | Congress leader Ahmed Patel meet Nitin Gadkari



Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat held a closed-door meeting with Devendra Fadnavis where he is said to have suggested to the caretaker chief minister that he must end the stalemate soon and stake claim to form a stable government before the verdict in the Ayodhya case, which is expected in a few days.

While the BJP has made no official announcement yet, Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana claimed on Wednesday that the Amit Shah-led party is ready to talk over the CM post.

Amid the stalemate between allies Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party is trying to don the ‘kingmakers hat’.

The Bharatiya Janata Party had emerged as the single largest party winning 105 seats in the election results announced on October 24. The Shiv Sena won 56, NCP 54 and Congress 45 seats in the 288-seat Maharashtra assembly. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party is insisting on the CM as per the '50:50' pre-poll deal with BJP, however, Amit Shah is not ready to accept the demand.

(With inputs from agencies)