Shiv Sena feud escalates: Ramdas Kadam Claims Bal Thackeray died two days before the official date

With the Mumbai civic elections only months away, Maharashtra politics has been roiled by a sensational claim at the Shiv Sena's Dussehra rally.

Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam alleged that party founder Bal Thackeray had died two days before the official date, and that his body was kept at Matoshree to take fingerprints for his will.

The Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) Sena hit back, threatening legal action. "I am going to file a defamation case against Ramdas Kadam. There were doctors and several eyewitnesses present, including me, when Balasaheb passed away. If he doesn't apologise, we will sue him," UBT leader Anil Parab said.


Kadam later doubled down, suggesting the controversy was linked to Bal Thackeray's will, and said he was ready for a narco test - challenging Uddhav Thackeray to undergo one as well. The UBT Sena countered by raising old questions about how Kadam's wife, Jyoti Kadam, suffered burn injuries in 1993.

The episode has further deepened the bitter rivalry between the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Uddhav faction, adding to the charged atmosphere ahead of the civic polls.