Shinde Office Meeting Sparks Rare Dispute Between MVA Allies Pawar and Sena (UBT)

Mumbai, July 9: A meeting held by Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Sharad Pawar in the office of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday has led to a public disagreement between two key constituents of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday expressed disappointment over the meeting, stating that it undermined the credibility of a senior leader like Pawar. Raut described Shinde as a 'traitor' for his role in the 2022 split in Shiv Sena that led to the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government. He said that holding a party meeting in Shinde's office amounted to 'glorification of traitors'.

In response, NCP (SP) spokesperson Amol Matele defended the meeting, emphasising that Shinde holds a constitutional office and that Pawar, as an experienced statesman, has a duty to engage with all officeholders on matters of state importance such as the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute, drought, and development. Matele said, 'When dialogue stops, politics ends,' and cautioned against questioning the political judgment of a leader who played a key role in forming the MVA in 2019.

The NCP (SP) also criticised Raut for what it called 'double standards', pointing out that Pawar's earlier meetings with Raut and Thackeray were praised as 'political statesmanship'. The party argued that if a single meeting between Pawar and Shinde could unsettle the alliance, it reflected a weak foundation based more on emotions than on political arithmetic.

Pawar, who heads the NCP (SP) faction, was at the Vidhan Bhavan complex to attend a high-powered committee meeting on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute. After the meeting, he paid a 'courtesy visit' to Shinde in his chamber and also held a meeting with his party legislators there.

Raut said that the incident 'disturbed' his party and that such actions could lower the credibility of both Pawar and the NCP (SP). He questioned why Pawar could not have used other available venues like Y.B. Chavan Pratishtan or Rashtravadi Bhavan. He added that he would raise the issue directly with Pawar but expressed confidence that the veteran leader would not align with the National Democratic Alliance.

The MVA, comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and the Congress, has been a key opposition front in Maharashtra since 2019. The current disagreement underscores the delicate balance within the alliance as it prepares for future electoral challenges.