Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar’s verdict on the dispute within the Shiv Sena factions, has ignited a political firestorm, with Uddhav Thackeray labelling it as a “murder of democracy” and a premeditated “match-fixing” on Wednesday.”

Uddhav Thackeray, head of the Shiv Sena UBT faction, expressed strong disapproval, deeming the decision a direct insult to the Supreme Court’s previous ruling in favour of Sunil Prabhu’s appointment as chief whip. ”It was a match-fixing. The verdict is also an insult to the Supreme Court which had ruled that Sunil Prabhu’s appointment as chief whip was valid. We don’t accept this verdict, we are challenging it in the apex court,” Uddhav Thackeray said.

Sanjay Raut, another prominent figure in the UBT faction, went a step further, denouncing the decision as part of a larger “BJP conspiracy” to dismantle the party founded by the late Balasaheb Thackeray. Raut warned that the Shiv Sena would not succumb to this setback, vowing to take the matter to the Supreme Court.