A seemingly innocuous event to name three tiger cubs sparked a political row in Maharashtra on Sunday after a chit apparently carrying the name 'Aditya' was taken back and replaced with another one.

Opposition leaders linked the name to Aaditya Thackeray, who was a minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government that collapsed last year after a rebellion by present Chief Minister Eknath Shinde resulted in an acrimonious split in the Shiv Sena.