Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday announced that he was ending his party’s alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party and would contest the upcoming civic polls in Mumbai and other elections in Maharashtra solo. “We lost 25 years. I am announcing a new path for the Sena. Henceforth, I am not going to anyone with a begging bowl,” Thackeray said while addressing party workers in Mumbai, according to The Indian Express.

The Sena chief further accused the ruling party at the Centre of backstabbing it. “Did we ever ask for the post of the deputy chief minister or lucrative ministries? But you [BJP] have taken it further, deciding to attack us in our own home. I am not the one to take this lying down. Today, I set you free,” he said.

The Sena-BJP alliance has governed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation since 1997. While the far-right regional party had led the municipal party, its share in seats fell from 103 in 1997 to 75 in 2012. For the civic polls this year, the BJP wanted to have 114 candidates contest for the BMC seats, but the Sena was willing to compromise only 60 of the 227 seats for its ally. The municipal polls are expected to be held in February.

The announcement leaves uncertainty for the BJP-Sena led government in Maharashtra. Thackeray said his outfit would put up with the alliance “for the sake of Hindutva and the belief that Hindu votes should not get divided”. But Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took to Twitter to express his views: “Power ain’t our ultimate goal, but a medium of development. We’ll take along those who come with us and leave aside who don’t. Transformation is inevitable!”

The end of the saffron tie-up does not come as a surprise to many. The Shiv Sena has been vocal about its opposition to a number of the BJP-led governments decisions, especially the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on November 8, 2016.