A 20-year-old murder case has emerged to be crucial in the latest split speculation that is haunting the former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena or the Shiv Sena (UBT), a murmured rebellion crisis that comes years after the party founded by his father split in two and left him out of power.
The latest push, the second major division for Thackeray, moved with unusual speed, catching the Sena (UBT) leadership off-guard.
Among the six dissident MPs defying the party's whip is Omraje Nimbalkar, whose father Pawanraje Nimbalkar was shot dead in 2006 while travelling from Pune to Mumbai.
The motive behind Nimbalkar's murder was linked to alleged irregularities involving funds collected after the Kargil War, and the case serves as a reminder of the complex and often murky nature of Maharashtra politics.
The CBI claimed to have cracked the case after Parasmal Badala, who was already in custody in another matter, disclosed details of the conspiracy.
Omraje Nimbalkar, who was 22 when his father was killed, later entered politics through the Shiv Sena and has since been elected twice to the Lok Sabha from Osmanabad.
