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Maharashtra forest minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ganesh Naik will on Monday hold a janata darbar in Thane, a stronghold of deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Eknath Shinde, the development coming amid the buzz of disquiet in the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
Large hoardings have been put up for Naik's event to be held near the collector's office in Thane city, which is being seen in some political circles as a direct challenge from the BJP to the Shiv Sena's influence in the area.
There has been talk of unease in the ties between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena for the past few weeks, which once again came to the fore with Shinde's "do not take me lightly" warning on Friday.
Those who took him lightly were toppled, Shinde, whose rebellion brought down the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, had added.
"Those who have to understand must take the hint. I will continue to do my work," Shinde, deputy chief minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government, had said when asked by reporters about who was the target of the warning.
Incidentally, the rivalry between Naik, now the guardian minister of neighbouring Palghar district, and Shinde goes back several years.
When Shinde was the chief of the (undivided) Shiv Sena's Thane district (which also included neighbouring Palghar), Naik was with the (undivided) Nationalist Congress Party and lorded over Navi Mumbai.
So the two parties competed to increase their influence in a region known for its close proximity to commercial capital Mumbai and with among the highest urban concentrations in the country.
Notably, Naik had initiated the 'janata darbar' (public hearing) concept in the state in 1990s, connecting people with the administration to address grievances.
On February 3, Naik addressed a janata darbar at Vashi in Navi Mumbai township of Thane district and on February 21 in Palghar district.
Earlier, when asked about political implications of such an event, Naik had said the sole purpose of the janata darbar was to resolve public's grievances.
Shiv Sena's Thane Lok Sabha MP Naresh Mhaske, a close aide of Shinde, downplayed Monday's event.
"When Eknath Shinde comes to Thane, thousands of people come to meet him to get their work done. An MP like me sits in Anandmath (the office of Shinde's mentor Anand Dighe) and 400-500 people come and we call officers. Even that is called durbar. You don't need to make a palace for it," Mhaske said.
"Why should we take objection when people are going to come to meet political leaders to address their issues," Mhaske, a former mayor of Thane, asked.
Ganesh Naik's son and former MP Sanjeev Naik has held multiple meetings with Thane BJP leaders to oversee preparations for Monday's event.
During his visit to the venue on Saturday, Sanjeev Naik dismissed the speculation of his father's event challenging the dominance of ally Shiv Sena, and said such "baseless rumours" were being spread by opponents.
He reiterated that the ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP, remains strong and united.
Sanjeev Naik emphasised the event is being held under the directions of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to all ministers to hold janata darbar at different places in the state.
"The idea is to bring governance closer to the people. Instead of 5,000 persons travelling to Mantralaya (state secretariat) to get their grievances addressed, the minister will meet them locally and resolve their issues," Sanjeev Naik told reporters.