Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde (L) with NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar.
Credit: X/@mieknathshinde
Mumbai: Amid open war of words between Maha Yuti NDA and Maha Vikas Aghadi I.N.D.I.A. ahead of the state assembly polls, Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde continues to engage with NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar, meeting the veteran Maratha leader a second time in a fortnight.
On July 23, Pawar had met Shinde at the Sahyadri Guest House while the August 3 meet was held at Varsha, the CM’s official residence.
Neither the Chief Minister’s Office nor the NCP (SP) has commented on the meeting, however, it is believed to be on the vexed reservation issue, which has come to the centre-stage of state politics.
Amid the growing tensions between the Marathas and the OBC community, Shinde is engaging with Pawar, the senior most leader of the state to discuss the issue.
Earlier, it may be recalled, veteran OBC leader and state’s Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister Chhagan Bhujbal had met Pawar and urged him to intervene.
Bhujbal met Pawar days after opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi partners - Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) -skipped the all-party meeting convened by Shinde coinciding with the monsoon session of Maharashtra legislature.
The meeting comes at a time when Manoj Jarange-Patil is intensifying the campaign demanding reservation for Marathas under Kunbi sub-caste which is being countered by Prof Laxman Hake who feels that the OBC quota would be diluted. At the same time, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi leader Prakash Ambedkar is undertaking a save reservation march to protect the reservation of SCs, STs and OBCs.
At the same time, CM Shinde is seeking to position himself in the leadership role of the ruling alliance, aggressively pushing welfare schemes announced on the recent budget and engaging with other parties including from the opposition.