Veteran Maharashtra politician and Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar on Thursday met state’s Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at his official residence in Mumbai. Pawar arrived at Varsha Bungalow on Thursday evening to meet Shinde. Though the objective of the meeting has not been stated by any party, the recent political background gives it more prominence as far as power politics is concerned. This is also the first meeting between the two leaders since the transfer of power in Maharashtra.
The meeting is also considered significant since former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, a key figure in the Maha Vikas Aghadi, is abroad on a holiday. Thackeray is with family for vacation and is expected to return to Mumbai after the first week of June.
Consequently, there is speculation that this meeting could be related to the pending expansion of the cabinet or the ongoing investigation by the ED into NCP leaders. Notably in 2019, the Shiv Sena had ended the alliance with the BJP and formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra with the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party.
The government collapsed last year after Eknath Shinde split the party and joined hands with the BJP to form a new government.
Earlier in April, Maharashtra leader of Opposition and NCP stet chief Ajit Pawar met Chief Minister of the state Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis at Sahyadri guest house.