Is Shiv Sena Reunion On The Cards? Pratap Sarnaik's Remark Fuels Speculation

A day after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar's meeting at Vidhan Bhavan, Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik has claimed that "Nobody is anyone's friend or enemy in politics". His comments have paved way for rumours of reconciliation between two factions of the Sena, News18 reported.

Responding to a media question on whether the two factions can reunite, he stated that "anything can happen in the future." His remarks have fueled the speculations of growing discontent among the members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). He also did not give much importance to Wednesday's meeting between Shinde and Sharad Pawar.

He also hit out at Sanjay Raut's remarks on the meeting between Sharad Pawar and Eknath Shinde.

Reacting to Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut's statement, Minister Pratap Sarnaik says, "I feel that Sanjay Raut has a very narrow outlook. The reality is that in politics, no one is a 100% enemy or a 100% friend. Sanjay Raut should not have viewed the situation in that manner. Pawar has respect and affection for Eknath Shinde, and he considers him a good colleague. He believes that it is important to maintain cordial relations and treat one another with respect..."

Sarnaik also hinted at reconciliation as he invoked the state's unspoken political code, suggesting that today's enemies are often tomorrow's allies. "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 was in the Vidhan Bhavan to take part in the meeting on Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute. After the meeting, Sharad Pawar visited Shinde's office along with Jayant Patil, Jitendra Awhad and Shashikant Shinde on Wednesday.

Mumbai, Maharashtra: Reacting to Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Rauts statement, Minister Pratap Sarnaik says, "I feel that Sanjay Raut has a very narrow outlook. The reality is that in politics, no one is a 100% enemy or a 100% friend. Sanjay Raut should not have viewed the… pic.twitter.com/abekc37zFr

— IANS (@ians_india) July 9, 2026

When Pawar and NCP (SP) MLAs visited, Shinde was holding a cabinet meeting and he stopped it to welcome the NCP founder. They had a 15-minute meeting before the Deputy Chief Minister returned to the cabinet meeting, according to a report in India Today.

However, both Shiv Sena and NCP (SP) stated that the political equations remain same and it was a courtesy meeting between senior Pawar and the Deputy Chief Minister.

The Shiv Sena split dates back to 2022, Eknath Shinde brought down Uddhav Thackeray's government after leading the rebellion.