A Shiv Sena MLA has threatened to “smash the head” and “break the legs” of anybody who tries to poach his party representatives. Sena MLA Abdul Sattar, who represents Sillod assembly constituency in Aurangabad district. was quoted as saying: “poaching or purchasing democratically elected representatives” was illegal in a democracy. “Our party is not some retail shop to buy MLAs from. If anybody tries to poach our MLAs, we will smash his head and break his legs too. However, the Sena will also summon an ambulance for the person and arrange for his medical treatment.”

Sattar’s comments came amid speculations that some Shiv Sena legislators have expressed displeasure with their party’s attempts to stitch an alliance with Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for government formation in the state.

After the Maharashtra Assembly Elections, Shiv Sena and BJP fell out of their alliance because Shiv Sena insisted on the CM position and BJP was in no mood to oblige. The erstwhile Hindutva party Shiv Sena has now allied with Sonia Gandhi led Congress and Sharad Pawar led NCP to form the government in Maharashtra.

Earlier this month, the Shiv Sena and the Congress had moved their MLAs away from the public eye over concerns of them being “poached” by the BJP. Reportedly when the MLAs were kept at The Retreat Hotel in Mumbai’s Malad, they engaged in abusive arguments over Uddhav Thackeray’s insistence on the post of Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray had to rush to the hotel following a revolt by Sena MLAs.

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Shiv Sena, which emerged as the second-largest party in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, ditched its alliance partner, BJP after it decided to tie-up with NCP-Congress in an expectation that the party could get the post of Chief Minister.