On May 11th, 2023, the Supreme Court gave a verdict regarding the disqualification of 16 MLAs belonging to the Chief Minister Shinde’s Sena, including Shinde, for not attending a party meeting convened by the then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray despite the whip issued. The court deemed that the House Speaker’s decision to appoint Bharat Gogawale of the Shinde faction as the whip of Shiv Sena was “illegal”. The Supreme Court said that Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray could not be reinstated as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra as he had voluntarily resigned from the post without facing a floor test. However, it said that the then Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s decision to call for a floor test that ultimately toppled the Uddhav-Thackeray-led MVA government was not in accordance with the law.

The Supreme Court was dealing with the issue of disqualification of 16 MLAs belonging to CM Shinde’s Sena. In July, when Shinde sought a trust vote on the floor of the state legislative assembly, the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena combine got the support of 164 out of a total of 288 MLAs and became the chief minister.

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray said that “Eknath Shinde won after murdering democracy. He should now resign on moral grounds.” Reacting to the court’s verdict, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said “there is no question of his resignation…Maharashtra government is constitutional and legal”. In a joint press conference with Shinde, Fadnavis said, “Thackeray said he resigned on moral ground. I want to ask where was your moral ground when you betrayed BJP and joined hands with Congress, NCP”.

In his autobiography, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray had failed to quell the discontent within his own party and resigned as Maharashtra chief minister without putting up a fight. Pawar was referring to the rebellion led by Eknath Shinde in the undivided Shiv Sena in June last year that led to the collapse of the Uddhav-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Maharashtra minister Uday Samant said that it is a coincidence that state NCP president Jayant Patil has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case ahead of the Supreme Court’s verdict on petitions pertaining to the 2022 political crisis in the state.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav met Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray at his residence Matoshree. The duo later met MCP chief Sharad Pawar at his home ‘Silver Oaks’. Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar has been meeting Opposition leaders to strengthen the bloc against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The Supreme Court’s verdict added another chapter to the controversy-ridden tenure of Koshyari at Mumbai Raj Bhavan. In a unanimous verdict on a batch of pleas related to the political crisis that led to the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, including a split in the Shiv Sena, the Supreme Court questioned the role of both the Speaker and then-governor Bhagat Singh Koshy

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