‘Sharad Pawar Is…’: Eknath Shinde Spills The Beans On His Meeting With NCP SP Chief | Exclusive
‘Sharad Pawar Is…’: Eknath Shinde Spills The Beans On His Meeting With NCP SP Chief | Exclusive Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 19
‘Sharad Pawar Is…’: Eknath Shinde Spills The Beans On His Meeting With NCP SP Chief | Exclusive Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: July 19, 2026, 17:08 IST Eknath Shinde: "We fixed the mistake of 2019 in 2022. People wanted Sena-BJP government. They were saying we are in people’s court…But people picked us." Rapid Read Eknath Shinde felicitates Sharad Pawar (left). (X) A meeting between Maharashtra deputy CM and Shiv Sena (Shinde) faction head Eknath Shinde and Sharad Pawar, the chief of NCP (SP) faction, left Maharashtra’s political circles buzzing last week. In an exclusive interview with News18, Shinde spilled the beans on what exactly transpired. ON MEETING SHARAD PAWAR “Sharad Pawar is a senior leader. He had come for a meeting on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border. Somebody told me he was sitting in the chamber. So I went and met him. He is a senior leader. It is our tradition to welcome our seniors and elders…," said Shinde.
“We all know what the man who Pawar made CM in the MVA government said about it…," said Shinde. On Shiv Sena’s role in NDA, Shinde said, “In 2022, we were ministers. We did not snatch anybody’s power. We left our posts and power. 40 MLAs came along. When we fought the elections, 60 got elected. In 2019, people were cheated, Bal Thackeray’s ideology was cheated, BJP was cheated…The government should have been of Sena-BJP. We fixed the mistake of 2019 in 2022. People wanted Sena-BJP government. They were saying we are in people’s court…But people picked us." THE POLITICAL FALLOUT Pawar met Shinde at the Vidhan Bhavan (State Assembly) in Mumbai. Pawar was present to attend a high-powered committee meeting regarding the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute, which was a major point of discussion. Shinde reportedly cut a Cabinet meeting short to meet with Pawar, welcoming him with a bouquet of flowers.
Pawar subsequently held a meeting with his party’s legislators inside Shinde’s office. The closed-door meeting raised eyebrows and caused friction among opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut expressed displeasure, stating that his party was hurt by the meeting. He heavily criticized Sharad Pawar for holding meetings in Shinde’s office, alleging that it lowers the credibility of a veteran leader like Pawar. Shinde had then defended the meeting, telling the Assembly that “political opponents are not enemies". News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Key Questions Answered What was the real purpose of Shinde and Pawar's meeting? The meeting between Sharad Pawar and Eknath Shinde was described as a courtesy call and a convenient arrangement by the NCP and Shinde's camp. Eknath Shinde stated that no political discussion occurred during the meeting. How will this meeting impact Maharashtra's political alliances?
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