Amid the ongoing final hearing in the Supreme Court in the Sena-vs-Sena case, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday claimed that the "game" of the rival Shiv Sena "will be over legally".
In a post on X, Raut said the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) believes in the Constitution, referring to their petitions in the top court, following the split in the party four years ago.
"We have no doubt that their game will be over in a legal manner," he said in the post, which carried an image of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, smiling.
Hitting back, Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske said the rival faction badmouths the judiciary whenever they get an adverse court judgment.
"Your game is already over @rautsanjay61. What is left now with you is to use expletives," he said in a social media post.
The Supreme Court, which on Wednesday commenced the final hearing on the pleas of the Thackeray-led faction against the Election Commission's decision recognising the Shinde-led group as the "real Shiv Sena", observed that the political party retains control over its legislature wing and its valid decisions must prevail.
The top court, however, also batted for granting some "elbow room" to elected representatives to make political decisions if the majority of them "genuinely disagree" with the directions of the political party.
Shinde led a rebellion against the Shiv Sena leadership in 2022, splitting the original party founded by Bal Thackeray and triggering a legal battle between the two factions. His group subsequently secured the party's name and its "bow-and-arrow" symbol from the Election Commission.
(With inputs from PTI)