New Delhi: The Uddhav Thackeray faction of Maharashtra’s Shiv Sena moved the Supreme Court Monday, challenging the Election Commission’s decision to allot the party name and symbol to the dissident group led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Thackeray’s lawyer sought an urgent hearing of the plea against the poll body’s move.
The apex court asked the advocate to mention the matter on Tuesday.
In a setback to the Thackeray faction Friday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) allotted the name “Shiv Sena” and its “bow and arrow” symbol to the bloc led by CM Shinde – ending a months-long struggle between the two groups on who was the “real Shiv Sena”.
This prestige battle began last year, soon after Eknath Shinde forced a split in the party, and formed the government with the BJP. Shinde alleged that then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had “compromised” the Sena’s ideology when he formed the ruling grand alliance with the secular Congress and the Nationalist Party in 2019.
Udhhav’s father Balasaheb Thackeray had founded the Sena in 1966 as a right-wing regionalist and nationalist party.
Angry at the EC, the Uddhav faction Friday accused it of acting in haste and as a “BJP agent”. Thackeray called the move a “murder of democracy”.
The Commission, however, observed in its order that the current constitution of the Shiv Sena party was undemocratic and had been “mutilated to undemocratically appoint people from a coterie as office bearers without any election at all”. It said such party structures fail to inspire confidence.
Before the Andheri East bypoll last November, the poll body froze the “bow and arrow” symbol. It allotted the “two swords and shield” symbol to the Eknath Shinde faction and the “flaming torch” to the Uddhav Thackeray faction.
It also named the Uddhav faction of the party as Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the Shinde group as Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena. The names were to prevail till the final decision, which came Friday.
Maharashtra will see two assembly bypolls later this month. Both constituencies – Kasba Peth and Chinchwad – are in the Pune district.
Also read: Got ‘bow and arrow’ symbol due to blessings of Shivaji Maharaj: Maha CM Shinde