However, so far, there has been no firm word from Matoshree. The refrain is: (Shiv Sena chief) Bal Thackeray will decide.

Apparently, the tiger wants only the best for his cub, not a government at the mercy of independents since Uddhav has no experience in government and till some years back was not even expected to lead the Sena.

Since taking over as working president in January 2003, Uddhav has done fairly well. The party won the civic polls in Mumbai, but failed to live up to expectations in the Lok Sabha elections - it lost all but one seat in the metropolis, considered its stronghold.

Considering that these are the days of smart electorates and fractured verdicts, Uddhav may well keep a remote handy.