India, Dec. 8 -- NAGPUR In the recently concluded cross-questioning of Sunil Prabhu, chief whip of Shiv Sena (UBT), the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena's counsel Mahesh Jethmalani tried to establish that Shinde was not the rebel as he had the support of a majority of the MLAs who had ideological differences with Uddhav Thackeray. As the session resumed at the Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur, on Thursday, Devadatt Kamat, counsel representing the Thackeray faction, countered this claim.

In his cross-examination of Shinde faction MLA Dilip Lande (of Chandivali constituency), Kamat focussed on his jumping ships several times, the question of Shinde faction approving the NCP led by Ajit Pawar in the Sena-BJP alliance and the appointments of Eknath...