Pawar's praise for Shinde irks Sena (UBT)

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday expressed strong disapproval of its ally and NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar felicitating rival Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde during an event in Delhi on Tuesday.

- Shailesh Gaikwad

MUMBAI:

The attack on Sharad Pawar by Uddhav's Sena is the first after the two parties joined hands with the Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in 2019. Shinde, once a close aide of party founder Bal Thackeray, triggered a vertical split in the Shiv Sena in 2022 by walking out of the party with a group of 40 leaders and lawmakers. This led to the collapse the Thackeray-led MVA government, and Shinde formed a new government with the BJP.

The remark came a day after Pawar praised Shinde's "decisive leadership" while honouring him with the Mahadji Shinde Rashtra Gaurav Puraskar on the occasion of the 98th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan. Shinde, too, showered praise on the NCP (SP) chief, saying that one has to learn from him about how to maintain good relations going beyond the political sphere.