Uddhav Thackeray

The pullout comes hours after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said he considered the Hindutva ideologue as his 'idol', and asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to refrain from "insulting" him.

This comment by the state BJP chief comes at a time when BJP-ruled states like Assam had passed a bill to regulate cattle slaughter, transport and sale of beef. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been seen appealing to the people to restrict consumption of beef in the Hindu inhabited areas.

Sena vs Sena battle: Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar slammed the Election Commission for its decision to recognise Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and allocation of the 'bow and arrow' poll symbol to it and he said this is an example of how an institution can be misused.

On Tuesday, Sanjay Raut wrote three separate letters to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the state home portfolio, the Mumbai police commissioner, and the Thane police commissioner.

On Monday, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) approached the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission's decision to recognise the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and award it the 'bow and arrow' poll symbol.

Team Uddhav Thackeray will hold a meeting of his party officials today to discuss further plans, four days after losing the Shiv Sena name and the bow-and-arrow party symbol to the Bharatiya Janata Party-backed Chief Minister's faction.

Uddhav Thackeray accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of destroying democracy through democratic institutions. He said that the BJP intends to end the Shiv Sena. "Stealing our party name and symbol is part of a larger conspiracy," he added.

The Uddhav Thackeray faction approached Supreme Court on Monday, challenging the Election Commission's decision to recognise the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena andaward it the 'bow and arrow' poll symbol. Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde took over the Sena office at Vidhan Bhawan in Mumbai on Monday morning.

Uddhav Thackeray was addressing his supporters outside 'Matoshree,' his Bandra residence, before chairing a meeting of party leaders. "The Election Commission, PM (Narendra) Modi's slave, has done something unprecedented," Thackeray said, urging his supporters to be patient and prepare for the next elections, which will be for Mumbai's civic body, the BMC.

The meeting of Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders, deputy leaders, elected representatives, and spokespersons will be held in the afternoon at Uddhav Thackeray's residence 'Matoshree' in Mumbai's suburban Bandra, said Thackeray's aide.