Maharashtra Minister Ganesh Naik said that he wants the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to flourish in Thane, a stronghold of Deputy Chief Minister (CM) and Shiv Sena President Eknath Shinde, indicating that there could be a tussle between the two allies, news agency PTI reported.

The BJP leader, who is the Guardian Minister for the neighbouring Palghar district, said at an event on Tuesday that he would be holding public grievance meetings in Thane too, triggering speculation that the saffron party was preparing to challenge the dominance of Shiv Sena in the area, PTI reported.