India, Nov. 29 -- Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde may now find it harder to take the ideological high ground against Uddhav Thackeray, with his party leaders forging alliances with the Congress in at least two local bodies ahead of the upcoming polls. Shinde's photo has also appeared alongside senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on campaign posters for municipal council elections in Dharashiv and Jalgaon.

In 2022, Shinde orchestrated a split in the Shiv Sena, with support from 39 other MLAs, over party chief Thackeray's decision to form a coalition government with the Congress. The rebellion led to the toppling of the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and the formation of a new state government with Shinde ...