Meanwhile, sources in Left parties today said that Opposition parties are likely to field their own consensus candidate against NDA's nominee Ram Nath Kovind for the July 17 Presidential polls.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said party President Uddhav Thackeray will hold a rally in Mumbai evening to announce the party's decision.
Shah's gesture of calling up Thackeray to inform him about Kovind's candidature seems to have gone down well with Matoshree which, a BJP functionary pointed out, craves for a telephone call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Shah.
"President Amit Shah on Saturday declined to comment on who is likely to be nominated as the next candidate for the Presidential election".
Asked if the Shiv Sena would support the opposition parties if they fielded a Dalit candidate, Uddhav Thackeray said his stand will not change now.
"First of all I thank Shiv Sena for reposing faith, confidence and trust in Mohan Bhagwat but it has dialed a wrong number".
For the past two presidential elections, the Sena has broken away with the NDA and backed Congress nominees Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee.
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The BJP-led NDA (including Sena) has total of 52 MPs. In turn I suggested to him two names which he said the BJP would consider.
The Sena's verbal support for Kovind is a departure from its previous practice of supported UPA nominees in presidential elections after ditching the BJP.
"We wish them all the best... we are not perturbed about winning or losing mid-term elections in Maharashtra..."
The Sena's attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came barely 24 hours after Shah and Thackeray met in Mumbai for 75 minutes amid optimism of a thaw in the chilled relations between the two allies of almost three decades.
Shiv Sena insiders said Uddhav had also tried to catch the BJP in a bind and grab the attention of a section of Hindutva adherents by pitching for Bhagwat as the President and pushed for Swaminathan to strike a chord with farmers agitating in Maharashtra and other states. On the Sena's choices for the post, Shah informed Thackeray that while Bhagwat was not vying for the position, Swaminathan has not been in good health.
In the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, the BJP has the support of 122 MLAs and claims to have the support of some more legislators.
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