Fri Feb 21 04:05:55 UTC 2025: ## Shiv Sena Leader Praises Sharad Pawar, Compares Him to Maratha General
**New Delhi, February 21, 2025** – Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut dramatically shifted his stance on NCP chief Sharad Pawar Thursday, praising him highly and comparing him to the renowned 18th-century Maratha general, Mahadji Shinde. This comes just days after Raut criticized Pawar for honoring Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Speaking at a book release event where he shared the stage with Pawar, Raut lauded the NCP leader, calling him a guiding figure and a leader Maharashtra looks to in the national capital. He highlighted Pawar’s influence, drawing a parallel to Mahadji Shinde’s conquests of Delhi.
Raut’s about-face is significant, considering the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s recent anger over Pawar’s bestowal of the Mahadji Shinde award upon Shinde, who ousted Uddhav Thackeray’s government in 2022 with BJP support. Raut now claims Pawar is not an opponent but a mentor.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also offered a cynical view of Delhi politics, characterizing it as a city of transient power, where alliances shift and betrayals are common. He suggested that current Delhi rulers will eventually return to their home states, echoing his own party’s struggles for power in Maharashtra. Pawar himself reminisced about his first encounter with Jawaharlal Nehru during a 1962-63 Congress meeting in Delhi.
First Piper 