In a last-ditch effort to prove his Hindutva credentials that his rebel MLAs have vehemently disputed, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray tried to show on Wednesday that he could overrule the Congress and NCP when his ministerial team comprising the liberal allies approved the renaming of two communally sensitive cities—Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv—in what is being seen as the last Cabinet meeting of the MVA government.

The populist decision came on the eve of the trust motion that the Thackeray government faces in the wake of unprecedented rebellion by its majority MLAs who accused the party chief of departing from a core Hindutva agenda. While the meeting was being held, the Sena and the government argued in the Supreme Court against the governor’s directives to hold a special session on Thursday to prove the trust vote.