The Supreme Court’s permission to the CBI to investigate the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput could trigger a fresh and intense round of political clashes between the BJP and its former ally Shiv Sena, sources said.

The top court’s verdict has come as an opportunity for the BJP to politically target the Uddhav Thackeray government in Maharashtra, BJP insiders said.

Late last year, the Sena, which had been the BJP’s oldest and most ideologically amenable ally, broke ranks after fighting the elections together and joined hands with Sharad Pawar’s NCP and the Congress to form the government in Maharashtra, handing the BJP its rudest shock so far.

Privately, many in the BJP feel the handover of the Sushant probe to the CBI has come as an opportunity