Post Shiv Sena’s Versova candidate’s gaffe in filing her nomination papers – leading to rejection of her candidature; Sena workers swore to vote for its archrival MNS’s candidate, to prevent BJP from winning.

There is no permanent friend or foe in politics, they say. Not more than a fortnight ago, the two saffron outfits, Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), were part of National Democratic Alliance (NDA), albeit both drooling over each other’s constituencies.

With this unpleasant break-up, the Sena finds itself in a catch-22 situation, having to support its archrival and estranged cousin Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) just to curtail the prospect of the BJP to retain the Versova constituency.

For Sena it may have come as a blessing in disguise to ‘embarrass’ its friend-turned-foe when its candidate, Rajul Patel, filed an incomplete nomination that led to the returning officer rejecting her form. With the deadline having passed, the Sena had to bow out without a fight.

Having no choice, sena’s supporters say they will vote for MNS’s Manish Dhuri, in order to defeat BJP’s Dr Bharati Lavekar.

Like any other marriage gone bitter, the Sena has been slamming its former ally.