Mumbai, April 13 -- With the cold war between Mahayuti allies Shiv Sena and BJP showing no signs of abating, Shiv Sena chief and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde has been working on strengthening the party, along with his son and Thane MP Shrikant Shinde. The deputy chief minister has, over the past week, travelled to Solapur and Darashiv districts, and urged party workers to reach out to the public, while his son has urged office-bearers in Pune to start preparing for the next Lok Sabha and assembly polls, sources in the Sena told Hindustan Times. During the meetings, the deputy chief minister expressed deep concern over the upcoming special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra and asked party workers to closely monitor the process, the sources said. Tensions between the two Mahayuti allies have been simmering since the 2024 assembly poll results, which paved the way for Devendra Fadnavis to take over as chief minister from Eknath Shinde. The situation escalated in March during the election for the Zilla Parishad chief in Satara district, when police allegedly manhandled Shiv Sena minister Shambhuraj Desai and NCP minister Makrand Patil. The post ultimately went to a BJP candidate. Sena sources said that while the party chief had been upset for long, he had recently started strengthening the party organisation. Last week, he chaired a meeting of all MPs, MLAs and district-level office-bearers and ordered them to hit the ground running. "Now that elections are over, it is time to expand the party. Every leader needs to contribute to it," participants quoted Shinde saying, while he was welcoming a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader from Ratnagiri district into the party. On Sunday, the Sena chief visited Pandharpur in Solapur district to induct Bhagirath Bhalke, son of former MLA Bharat Bhalke, and others into the party. Bhalke had contested the 2024 assembly poll on a Congress ticket but had lost to the BJP's Samadhan Autade by a small margin. His induction into the Sena demonstrates Shinde's intent to lock horns with BJP wherever he gets an opportunity, party insiders said. Speaking during the function, Bhalke dared the district's guardian minister and BJP leader Jaykumar Gore. "During the elections, Gore had challenged me over bringing funds for development as he is the guardian minister. But now, the person who allocates funds for urban development is sitting here," Bhalke said, gesturing at Shinde, who is also the state urban development minister. Shinde later urged party leaders and workers to visit every home and village in the district. "Take the party to every home and village," he said. On Sunday, Shinde also visited Dharashiv district, where BJP MLA Rana Jagjitsingh Patil holds sway. He urged Sena functionaries to stay united and work hard for the party. "The delimitation process will start now to restructure Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies. All party leaders and workers need to keep a close eye on the developments," participants quoted him saying. Sena MP Shrikant Shinde on Sunday visited Pune and said the party was undertaking a drive to strengthen the organisation and meetings were underway at the Lok Sabha constituency level. "Soon, we will conduct assembly constituency-wise meetings in Pune to prepare the party for the next Lok Sabha and assembly elections," he said....