Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on 16 July told the state Legislative Council that while the BJP-led MahaYuti had “no scope” of sitting in the Opposition until 2029, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray could "think about coming to this side." The remark, delivered during a farewell for outgoing Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve, was widely read as an invitation for the former chief minister to re-enter government ranks after the two parties’ bitter split in 2019. A day later, Thackeray and his son, MLA Aaditya Thackeray, met Fadnavis in Legislative Council Chairman Ram Shinde’s office for roughly 20 minutes. According to people briefed on the discussion, the trio spoke about the soon-to-be-vacant Opposition-leader post and the state’s planned three-language policy, which critics say amounts to Hindi imposition. Thackeray handed the chief minister a book compiling articles that oppose making Hindi compulsory from Class 1. Shiv Sena (UBT) lawmakers described the chief minister’s original offer as an expression of goodwill rather than a formal proposal, and reiterated their opposition to the language plan. Even so, the back-to-back overture and meeting have fuelled speculation about a possible thaw between the BJP and Thackeray’s faction, coming amid reports of unease between Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde within the ruling alliance.