No Stay On Election Commission Order Allocating ‘Shiv Sena’ Name & Poll Symbol To Eknath Shinde faction

The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to stay the Election Commission order granting the ‘Shiv Sena’ party name and symbol to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s camp.

Uddhav Thackeray had sought the status quo on the Shiv Sena properties (offices and bank accounts) till its multiple petitions pending with the top court are decided. Besides the name and symbol issue, the group has also challenged the numbers in the Shinde faction, contending that a chunk of its MLAs deserve disqualification.

The court agreed to hear the petition from Uddhav Thackeray which has challenged the Election Commission’s order handing the Shiv Sena name and its “bow and arrow” symbol to the Shinde faction.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was representing the Thackeray group, told a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud that they want protection.

Pointing out that the parliamentary office of the Shiv Sena was taken over by the Shinde faction yesterday, advocate Kapil said, “We don’t want our properties and bank accounts to be taken over”.

The Top court said it cannot put a freeze on the Election Commission’s order at this stage. The Thackeray camp can use legal challenges if any action is taken that is not based on the Election Commission’s order.

“We cannot stay an order of the Election Commission at this stage. They have succeeded before the EC,” Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud told the Uddhav Thackeray camp.

The court also got an assurance from the Shinde faction that they will not issue any whip or take over bank accounts or party office of the Sena.

Eknath Shinde was named the Shiv Sena chief at a key meeting of the party yesterday.

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