Balasaheb Thackeray knew that Raj deserved to be his heir, not Uddhav. But, he had no option but to choose Uddhav, his son over the nephew. Raj split and that ended the dominance of Thackerays over Mumbai.
While the power tussle continues, Shiv Sena has declined further after Bal Thackeray’s demise. Uddhav now wants Aaditya as his successor, but BJP does not want to let it happen.
Hindu votes are divided in Maharashtra and BJP needs the maximum to reach the magic figure in the assembly on its own. Rebel Eknath Shinde is just a pawn in a bigger game.