New Delhi, June 24 (TIWN): The BJP is waiting for the final outcome out of the political fight between the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and dissident Sena MLAs led by rebel party leader Eknath Shinde, which has fast snowballed into a political fight over who will now lead the party.

Of the 55 MLAs of Shiv Sena, two-thirds, that is more than 37 party MLAs, have owed allegiance to Shinde, who is now claiming that more than 40 MLAs of the party are firmly supporting him, and many more MLAs are likely to join him in the next few days.

Accusing Uddhav Thackeray of abandoning the ideology of Hindutva, Shinde is now asserting his claim on Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray's legacy, the real Shiv Sena and even the party's election symbol.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, who is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government in Maharashtra, on Thursday defended Thackeray and accused the BJP of plotting the political ruckus within the Shiv Sena.

However, the BJP, which is allegedly being held responsible for the political turmoil within Shiv Sena, has termed the political crisis as the latter's "internal party affairs".