Shinde-Uddhav battle goes to Constitution Bench: Parties to ‘wait and watch’

State parties across the political spectrum said they had complete trust in the judicial system. “We completely trust the judiciary. The goddess of judiciary may appear to be blindfolded but it will deliver justice that upholds democracy to avoid chaos and anarchy,” said Thackeray.

BJP leaders refrained from making any official comment on the development. A senior BJP leader said on condition of anonymity, “The law will take its own course. Since the matter is pending before court, it will be incorrect to make any comment at this moment”.

Another leader in the ruling BJP said, “Since the matter has been referred to a larger bench, final verdict is unlikely soon… the Shinde faction, which has the support of the Speaker in the Legislative Assembly, does not have to worry.”

State NCP president Jayant Patil also responded cautiously. “Our hopes are pinned on the apex court and we firmly believe it will do justice to the case,” he said. “At the outset, one can draw the conclusion that the decision to refer the matter to a larger bench has come as a huge relief to the Shinde faction. In some ways, it can be construed as a setback to the Thackeray-led Sena,” said Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi president Prakash Ambedkar.

Details of the order have to be analysed to find the critical aspects the larger bench has to address, said Ambedkar. “I firmly believe the issue which needs to be looked into is the role of the state Governor ,” he said. “From the beginning, the Governor was pro-active in facilitating the formation of the BJP-Shinde alliance in the state… it is mandatory for the Governor to first send a report to the President of India and act as per his/her advice or directions,” said Ambedkar.