Amid growing discord within Maharashtra’s Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Uddhav Thackeray’s faction, the Uddhav Sena, has fired back at Sharad Pawar for honoring Deputy CM Eknath Shinde. Tensions escalated following the presentation of the Mahadji Shinde Rashtriya Gaurav Award, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Thackeray.
According to India TV sources from the Uddhav Sena,
“Uddhav Thackery has expressed resentment over the Mahadji Shinde Rashtriya Gaurav Award given to Shinde by the NCP-SCP chief.”
In a further rebuke, Thackeray remarked,
“Thackeray has said that Pawar should not have felicitated the deputy chief minister as he had broken the Shiv Sena. He said that Pawar should have respected the sentiments of the Thackeray family.”
The controversy has ignited a fresh debate over loyalty and recognition within the coalition. Critics argue that the award, intended to honor Shinde, has instead exposed underlying fractures in the alliance, potentially altering the political landscape in Maharashtra.