Pune: Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, was honored with the first-ever “Sant Tukaram Maharaj Award” during the 375th Beej Pilgrimage celebration of Sant Tukaram Maharaj in Dehu, Pune, on Sunday. The award was presented by the Sant Tukaram Maharaj Temple trust.
Expressing his gratitude after receiving the prestigious award, Shinde said, “I am very happy today and feel lucky to have been chosen for this honor by the Temple trust. This award belongs not only to me but to all those who support me and my work. It also increases my responsibilities. I am fortunate to receive this recognition in the same place where Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sant Tukaram Maharaj once met.”
Earlier this year, on February 12, Shinde was also conferred the Mahadji Shinde Rashtriya Gaurav Award, for which he extended his thanks to the organizers.
In a separate event on February 10, Shinde strongly criticized Uddhav Thackeray’s faction, claiming that if the ideology of Hindutva leader Balasaheb Thackeray had been preserved, rather than relying on fake voice recordings, the political situation would have been different.
During the same period, former Congress MLA from Pune, Ravindra Dhangekar, joined the Shiv Sena, along with his supporters. Shinde praised Dhangekar’s popularity, citing his impressive performance in the Lok Sabha elections, where he garnered 4.6 lakh votes.