Overview

• Sharad Pawar honored Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with the Mahadji Shinde Rashtra Gaurav Puraskar, sparking backlash from Shiv Sena (UBT).
• Sanjay Raut and Aaditya Thackeray criticized the felicitation, calling Shinde a 'traitor' for splitting Shiv Sena and toppling Uddhav Thackeray's government in 2022.
• The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, already reeling from poor assembly election results, is now facing internal discord over this incident.
• Aaditya Thackeray met Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi to discuss election concerns and the future of the INDIA bloc amidst allegations of voter and EVM fraud.
• Deputy CM Eknath Shinde's absence from key urban development meetings chaired by CM Devendra Fadnavis has fueled speculation about tensions within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.