Shiv Sena row in SC: How Uddhav Thackeray lost Balasaheb's party to Eknath Shinde

A 5-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court is likely to announce its verdict on the Maharashtra political crisis that erupted last year following the rebellion of Shiv Sena leaders led by Eknath Shinde. The bench is going to rule on a batch of petitions filed by the Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde factions of the Shiv Sena, including one filed by the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, which seeks to disqualify 16 MLAs from the Shinde-led faction, including Maharashtra CM Shinde. 

Notably, the Maharashtra political crisis of 2022 saw the collapse of the Uddhav-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state and the formation of a new government under Shinde. The crisis did not just stop with the formation of a new government; it escalated further with the question -- Who does 'Shiv Sena' belong to—Shinde or Thackeray? The fight between the two factions of Shiv Sena continued for months on the ownership of the Balasaheb Thackeray-founded party. But in February this year, Shinde consolidated his power over Shiv Sena after the Election Commission of India acknowledged the latter's faction as the "real" Shiv Sena.

Shinde takes forward Balasaheb's legacy: How Uddhav lost claim over Shiv Sena 

The roots of the conflict between Thackeray and Shinde can be traced back to the party's decision to break away from its long-time ally, the BJP in 2019. The Shiv Sena had been a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for decades, but its relationship with the BJP had become increasingly strained in the lead-up to the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections. The Shiv Sena demanded a greater share of power in the state, but the BJP refused to concede.

In response, the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with Congress and the NCP, two parties that it had previously opposed vehemently. The alliance, known as the MVA, was successful in forming a government in the state, with Thackeray as the CM.

However, the power-sharing arrangement between the three parties could not be smooth sailing. Also, there have been disagreements between the Shiv Sena and its allies over several issues. At the same time, there was displeasure among the Shiv Sena MLAs over Uddhav's handling of the party. The cocktail of all these developments resulted in a massive rebellion led by Eknath Shinde in June last year, raising questions about Thackeray's leadership and ability to hold the Shiv Sena together.

Following the rebellion, Uddhav resigned from the post of the CM in the same month and soon Shinde was crowned as the new CM after BJP's support. This was a victory of the Shinde-led faction but the power tussle between Uddhav and Shinde continues over the name "Shiv Sena" and the party symbol "bow and arrow". 

 In October last year, the EC had frozen the unified Shiv Sena's bow and arrow symbol and gave different names and symbols to the two factions. Following this, in November, Uddhav requested the Delhi High Court to overrule the EC order, which was dismissed by the court.

In February, EC's order ruled the Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and allotted a "bow and arrow" symbol to the former. With the order going in favour of the Shinde camp, it also scripted an end to Balasaheb's legacy at the hands of his son Uddhav.