Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Saturday that the Eknath Shinde-led faction is the only remaining legitimate Shiv Sena [1].

The statement deepens the political divide in Maharashtra by officially delegitimizing the faction led by Uddhav Thackeray. By recognizing only one version of the party, the central government is signaling a definitive preference in a long-standing internal rebellion.

Shah said the party does not exist in multiple parts. He said, "No faction of Sena other than Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena remains" [1]. The Union Home Minister said "only one Shiv Sena remains" [2].

This endorsement comes as the party continues to struggle with a split between Shinde and the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction. The move aims to consolidate power behind Shinde and frame the Thackeray-led group not as a rival party, but as a mere split from the original entity [1].

The political landscape in Maharashtra has been volatile since the internal rebellion began. The Shinde faction has sought to establish itself as the authentic successor to the party's legacy, while the Thackeray faction has fought to maintain its claim to the party name and symbol [2].

By framing the Shinde group as the sole remaining entity, Shah is positioning the Thackeray faction as an outlier. This rhetoric suggests that the legal and political disputes over the party's identity are, from the perspective of the Home Ministry, already resolved in favor of Shinde [1].

“"No faction of Sena other than Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena remains."”

This declaration by a top federal official serves to isolate the Uddhav Thackeray faction politically. By denying the existence of multiple factions, the government is attempting to shift the narrative from a party split to a completed transition of leadership, potentially influencing future electoral alignments and legal interpretations of party legitimacy in Maharashtra.