Elevator Encounter: Uddhav-Fadnavis Meet in Lift. Here's What Happened Next

Mumbai: Awkwardness was in the air as arch-rivals Uddhav Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis bumped into each other on the first day of Maharashtra Assembly's monsoon session on Thursday. A video of the duo waiting for the lift together has gone viral on social media. 

In the video, the 2 former CMs can be seen exchanging pleasantries. While what exactly transpired between Fadnavis and Thackeray remains undisclosed, their body language during the encounter suggests it was limited to mere small talk.

When asked about their conversation later with the media, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray joked, "From now on, we'll hold all our secret meetings in the lift." He added humorously, "When Devendraji and I were in the lift, people must have thought of the song 'na na karte pyar tumhi se kar baithe' (from the 1965 film Jab Jab Phool Khile).

"There's nothing like that. It was an unexpected meeting," added the Shiv Sena chief (UBT).

Thackeray, on the other hand, demanded from the Maharashtra government a complete waiver of farm loans and its implementation before state assembly polls scheduled later this year. Addressing a press conference, he also termed the monsoon session of the state legislature that commenced on Thursday as the "send-off" session of the Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

"There should be a complete waiver of farm loans immediately and this should be implemented before the state polls," Thackeray said. 

The state government will present its budget on Friday. Taking a swipe at the Centre and the state government, Thackeray said these two dispensations are "leakages government", a reference to the NEET exam and reports of water leak at the Ayodhya Ram temple.