Around 15 people, said to be from the Shiv Sena, attacked former Maharashtra legislator and party dissident Dr Ramesh Prabhu's house in Mumbai on Monday.

When the attack took place, "Ramesh Prabhu was on his first floor room, because he is a ill", one of his relatives told rediff.com

A PTI report said four of his cars were smashed.

Prabhu shot into the limelight when the Supreme Court barred him from contesting elections from 1995 to 2001 on the grounds that he had canvassed votes in the name of religion in 1990.

Sena chief Bal Thackeray, who had delivered 'religious' speeches while campaigning for Prabhu, was also debarred from exercising his franchise for the same period.

Prabhu was the mayor of the city in 1987, and had won the Vile Parle seat in a by-election in 1987-88 and retained the seat in 1990.

In 2004, he contested from Vile Parle and contributed to the defeat of the party's official nominee, Vinayak Raut.