The Supreme Court’s verdict on Thursday brings the curtains down, at least for now, on a saga that began in June last year when a group of Shiv Sena lawmakers led by Eknath Shinde went incommunicado. Supreme Court on Thursday delivered verdict in the Eknath Shinde vs Uddhav Thackeraty case. The days since have seen the dramatic collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, more rebels joining Shinde and the Election Commission according the Sena name and symbol to Shinde. Thursday marked a new twist. Here is how it may affect the primary players in Maharashtra’s turbulent politics. Also read Even though the Supreme Court did not validate Eknath Shinde’s rebellion and Uddhav Thackeray’s petition for his party name and symbol is still under review, Shinde, 59, has undoubtedly emerged stronger after Thursday’s verdict. It would not be surprising if more members of Shiv Sena (UBT) make their way towards his party. Also, after the verdict, the Sena UBT’s allegation that his government is “illegal” stands nullified. rohit typing center The decision on disqualification of 16 MLAs including him now rests with Speaker Rahul Narwekar which buys Shinde time. He will also find comfort in his deputy Devendra Fadnavis’s announcement that the next elections will be fought under Shinde’s leadership. In the long term though there are two issues: does he have the ability to transfer the Shiv Sena’s traditional vote to his combine with the BJP, and second, now that the original Shiv Sena has been split and weakened, will a resurgent BJP let him flourish?