A day after his rival group was allotted the name and symbol of the Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray reiterated the accusations against the Election Commission of India, calling it a slave of the BJP. While restive supporters gathered at his Kalanagar residence, Thackeray put on a brave face to tell them that the party wasn’t finished merely because of the lost case. He alleged conspiracy and feared that his faction’s interim symbol of “mashaal” may also be frozen.

Friday’s development was a massive jolt for Uddhav Thackeray who stepped down as Chief Minister last June after the Sena split. He was given an interim party name and election symbol after the Eknath Shinde group moved the ECI for recognition as the parent party. While the two fought over government collapse in the Supreme Court, which has taken the hearing into a decisive phase, the ECI came out with a nod for CM Shinde’s splinter on Friday. The events are expected to have a long-lasting effect on state politics ahead of the local body, and the general and assembly polls.