Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde faction submits symbol options to EC

Mumbai: The Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena on Tuesday submitted ‘shining sun’, ‘shield and sword’ and ‘Peepul tree’ as its election symbol options to the Election Commission (EC) for the upcoming bypoll in Andheri East assembly constituency next month. The poll body on Monday allotted the name ‘Balasahebanchi ShivSena’ to the Shinde faction and […]

Mumbai: The Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena on Tuesday submitted ‘shining sun’, ‘shield and sword’ and ‘Peepul tree’ as its election symbol options to the Election Commission (EC) for the upcoming bypoll in Andheri East assembly constituency next month.

The poll body on Monday allotted the name ‘Balasahebanchi ShivSena’ to the Shinde faction and ”Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)’ to the faction led by Uddhav Thackeray ahead of next month’s bypoll.

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The poll panel has declined to allot ‘Trishul’, ‘Rising Sun’ and ‘Gada’ as symbols as they are “not in the list of free symbols”.

It asked the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena to furnish a list of three fresh symbols by October 11 and declared the ‘flaming torch’ as the symbol of candidates of the Thackeray faction in the current by-election and till the final order is passed in the current dispute.

The poll panel had earlier barred the group led by former Maharastra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and State Chief Minster Eknath Shinde from using the symbol “Bow and Arrow, reserved for “Shiv Sena, in the upcoming Andheri East bye-election on November 3.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar referred to the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction’s ties with Congress and said “Congress does not have the right to use Balasaheb’s name”.

Kesarkar accused the rival faction of “misleading people”.

“He (Uddhav Thackeray) is saying that because of 40 MLAs symbol has been seized. But the truth is he was CM because of these 40 MLAs. We left because Sena was leaving Hindutva. MLAs warned you but you didn’t listen to them. You could have stopped what happened. Speak the truth in front of people,” he said.

Kesarkar claimed that Uddhav Thackeray wanted to go with BJP but was not sure if he will remain Chief Minister and decided to remain with NCP and Congress.

A day after the Election Commission froze the ‘Bow and Arrow’ symbol of Shiv Sena barring both the rival factions in the party from using it in the upcoming Andheri East Assembly bypolls, the party president and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray lambasted the rival Shinde camp saying the “40-headed Ravana froze the bow of Lord Sri Ram”.

In a Facebook live, Thackeray said, “I did not expect this decision from the Election Commission. I believe in the judiciary. We will get justice. The 40-headed Ravana froze the bow of Lord Sri Ram. I am sad but angry because you stabbed your mother in the chest. Do not use Balasaheb’s name if you have guts.” Eknath Shinde took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on June 30 earlier this year.

This came after a faction of Shiv Sena under Shinde shifted the alliance to Bharatiya Janata Party BJP from MVA. Since then, Maharashtra has been witnessing a tussle between both the factions of Sena as to who is the real inheritor of the legacy of Bal Thackeray.