Frenemy politics or power move? Rift in MVA as Sharad Pawar felicitates Eknath Shinde

The public display of camaraderie between Pawar and Shinde did not sit well with Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, which labels Shinde a "traitor"

The Shiv Sena (UBT) is fuming over Eknath Shinde's felicitation by Sharad Pawar at a function in Delhi. However, it has long been a characteristic of Pawar's political style to share stages with adversaries and praise them. In the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), tensions have frequently surfaced between Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena and the Congress, but for the first time, Pawar himself is facing criticism from within the alliance.

Recently, Sharad Pawar and Eknath Shinde shared a stage in New Delhi at the 98th Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, where Pawar presented the Mahadji Shinde Rashtriya Gaurav Puraskar to Shinde. BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia was also present on the dais. This was the first time Shinde and Pawar appeared together publicly since Shinde’s 2022 rebellion against the Shiv Sena, which led to him becoming Chief Minister. Both leaders exchanged praises during the event.

The public display of camaraderie between Pawar and Shinde did not sit well with Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, which labels Shinde a "traitor." A sharp reaction came from the party’s MP, Sanjay Raut, who likened the felicitation of Shinde to honoring Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of engineering the Shiv Sena split. Raut argued that Pawar should have avoided the event and warned that his party would factor this move into its future course of action.

While the Shiv Sena (UBT) has taken offense, Pawar’s political history suggests otherwise. He has consistently engaged with rivals, shared platforms, and maintained dialogue across party lines. Bal Thackeray and Pawar were fierce political opponents for over four decades yet shared a strong personal rapport. Pawar frequently visited Thackeray’s residence, Matoshree, for informal meetings over drinks and dinner, and they often shared stages at public events. When Thackeray passed away in 2012, Pawar—whose party was in power—ensured he was given full state honors. Similarly, despite his role in toppling Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s NDA government, Pawar maintained cordial relations with Vajpayee and L.K. Advani.

More recently, his relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been described as that of a "frenemy." While Modi once labeled the NCP a "Naturally Corrupt Party," his government later honored Pawar with a Padma award. Modi has publicly praised Pawar for his parliamentary conduct and, at a Baramati event hosted by Pawar, even referred to the veteran leader as his political guru. Despite their political differences, Modi and Pawar have frequently shared public platforms in recent years.

Defending the NCP (SP) chief, Pawar’s grandson Rohit Pawar stated that Sharad Pawar was upholding Maharashtra’s long-standing tradition of setting aside political rivalries to strengthen socio-cultural ties.

Sanjay Raut’s outburst against Pawar has raised eyebrows in Maharashtra’s political circles, given his reputation as one of Pawar’s closest allies within the Shiv Sena (UBT). Both Pawar and Raut were instrumental in forming the MVA, with Pawar often seen as the guiding force behind the Thackeray government, stepping in whenever conflicts arose within the alliance. In light of this, some political commentators have suggested that Raut recall his own words from 2019: "You will need a hundred births to understand the mind of Sharad Pawar."