Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday met his former ally and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in Mumbai.

This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Pawar caused a crisis within the Nationalist Congress Party by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra on July 2.

Pawar was appointed as the deputy chief minister for the third time in less than four years. Eight other Nationalist Congress Party MLAs were also inducted as ministers in the Maharashtra government.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar later initiated disqualification proceedings against them.

On Wednesday, Thackeray said that he asked Ajit Pawar to do good work for the people in the state.

“I am confident that people of the state will get aid because he has the keys to the treasury,” he said after the meeting.

The former chief minister said that he had worked with Pawar in his cabinet and knew his style of functioning. Pawar was Thackeray’s deputy in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Earlier this week, Pawar had also met his uncle Sharad Pawar for two days in a row in a bid to convince him to keep the party united.