Watch: Eknath Shinde, Uddhav Thackeray come face-to-face for awkward photo-op, here's what happened next

A rare photo-op has grabbed eyeballs in Maharashtra after deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray came face-to-face during a gathering at the state assembly on Wednesday.

In a video circulating widely on X, Uddhav can be seen greeting Maharashtra ministers and walking past Shinde, who adjusts his glasses right at the moment the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief approaches near him.

The moment unfolded at the farewell event for the Legislative Council opposition Leader Ambadas Danve.

Several senior leaders of the Maharashtra government, including chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, had already taken their seats in the front row when chief minister Eknath Shinde arrived a few moments later. Adjusting his glasses, Shinde settled in, ready for the photo-op.

VIDEO | Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Deputy CM and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde cross paths for the first time as the state legislative council gathers to bid farewell to Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve as LoP.

(Full video available on PTI Videos… pic.twitter.com/kcVlClwSqV

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 16, 2025

Just then, former CM and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray walked in. He greeted Fadnavis, who invited him to take a seat. As Uddhav moved ahead, he passed Shinde—who adjusted his glasses again but avoided eye contact.

Uddhav then greeted Neelam Gorhe from the Shinde camp. She gestured for him to take her seat, which was next to Shinde, but Uddhav appeared to politely decline and instead took the chair next to her.

The brief and cold moment between the two leaders, who were once part of the united Shiv Sena, underpinned the sharp political divide in Maharashtra following the vertical split in the party almost three years ago.

Following the photo-op, both leaders looked in different directions, with Shinde immediately getting up and leaving.

In late June 2022, Shinde, along with nearly 40 Shiv Sena MLAs, rebelled against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and joined hands with the BJP-NCP alliance, causing a collapse in the Maharashtra government.

The Election Commission later granted Shinde’s faction the right to the Shiv Sena name and bow-and-arrow symbol, officially recognizing his breakaway group as the legitimate Shiv Sena.

The split sparked an intense rivalry between the two leaders. Uddhav’s faction has since accused Shinde of “betrayal” and even alleged that he and his rebel MLAs were enticed with large sums to break ranks.

In response, Shinde has asserted that he “freed Shiv Sena” by rescuing its original ideology and delivering more development to Maharashtra.