Will Uddhav Thackeray, Eknath Shinde Reunite? Pratap Sarnaik Drops Major Hint: 'Anything Can Happen'

Last Updated:July 09, 2026, 18:32 IST

The ongoing bad blood stems from the 2022 revolt, when Eknath Shinde walked out on Uddhav Thackeray with a substantial majority of the party’s elected MLAs.

In a development that has reignited intense speculation over the shifting sands of Maharashtra politics, state Cabinet Minister and Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik on Thursday hinted at a potential reconciliation between the warring Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray factions.

When explicitly asked by reporters if the two divided Shiv Sena camps could join forces down the line, Sarnaik delivered a cryptic response: “Anything can happen in the future."

Sarnaik’s remarks arrived amid a widening fracture within the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) bloc, sparked by veteran leader Sharad Pawar’s visit to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Vidhan Bhavan office on Wednesday.

Sarnaik Defends Cross-Party Courtesy, Cites Maharashtra’s Traditions

Downplaying the political hostility that has consumed the state since the 2022 Sena split, Sarnaik emphasized that personal relationships frequently transcend ideological divides in regional governance.

“Nobody is anyone’s friend or enemy in politics," Sarnaik observed, taking a direct swipe at Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut’s public anger over the meeting. “There is nothing wrong for him [Sharad Pawar] to sit in Eknath Shinde’s office. Why is Sanjay Raut having trouble?"

Sarnaik went on to evoke the state’s historical political decorum to suggest that the ongoing animosity is not permanent. “In the future, if Aaditya Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde are seen in a car… don’t hate someone so much. All these things happen in politics. When there is a wedding or some family function, we go together. This is Maharashtra’s tradition."

Pawar-Shinde Meeting Sparks Sharp MVA War of Words

The underlying trigger for the latest controversy was a “courtesy visit" paid by Nationalist Congress Party (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar to CM Shinde’s chamber. Pawar was initially at the state legislature premises on Wednesday to participate in a high-powered committee meeting addressing the long-pending Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute. Following the formal session, Pawar met with MLAs from his own party right inside Shinde’s Vidhan Bhavan office.

The optics of the meeting drew immediate fire from the Uddhav Thackeray camp, exposing deep structural vulnerabilities within the opposition alliance:

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut slammed the move, calling Eknath Shinde a “traitor". Raut argued that Pawar’s visit severely damaged the political credibility of the NCP (SP) and the broader MVA alliance. “The credibility of a senior leader lowers when he goes and holds such meetings under the roof of a traitor," Raut asserted, declaring that his faction would never extend such legitimacy.

The Sharad Pawar-led faction hit back aggressively, accusing Raut of blatant “double standards." The party reminded Raut that when Pawar held similar closed-door meetings with him or Uddhav Thackeray, the Sena (UBT) regularly hailed those actions as “political statesmanship."

The NCP (SP) further noted that there remains a vast difference between writing fiery newspaper editorials in Saamana and executing practical, ground-level politics where leaders are often required to shake hands with active rivals.

The Backdrop of Shiv Sena Divide

The ongoing bad blood stems from the seismic political revolt of June 2022, when Eknath Shinde walked out on then-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray with a substantial majority of the party’s elected MLAs. Shinde subsequently allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form a new government, becoming the Chief Minister.

The split was later formalised by the Election Commission, which awarded Shinde’s faction the official “Shiv Sena" name and the traditional “Bow and Arrow" election symbol. While Thackeray’s restructured outfit, Shiv Sena (UBT), managed to secure 9 Lok Sabha seats during the recent general elections, six out of those nine elected MPs have since switched over to Shinde’s camp.

About the Author

Saurabh VermaSenior Sub-editor

Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Chief Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter --twitter.com/saurabhkverma19

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