A Decision That Brought Division
The EC on Monday 10th October, 2022, allotted new party names to the rival Shiv Sena factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Rejecting all proposed alternatives of the party symbol submitted by the Shinde camp while giving the mashaal (torch) symbol to the Thackeray group.
EC, has now decreed that the Uddhav Thackeray faction would be called the ‘Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)‘ while the Shinde faction is to be known as ‘Balasaheb’s Shiv Sena.’
The poll body has asked the Shinde camp to submit three new party symbol alternatives by Tuesday. Shinde camp spokesperson Naresh Mhaske said they would be pondering over fresh alternatives which would be submitted to the EC by Tuesday morning.
Eknath Shinde, Uddhav Thackeray factions of Shiv Sena prepared to fight by-election with new symbols and names.Earlier in the day, the Shinde faction had submitted three alternative party names and symbols to the EC.
The Shinde faction’s proposed alternative party names were the Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray), ‘Balasaheb’s Shiv Sena’ and the ‘Shiv Sena of Balasaheb’. Their three proposed symbols — which the EC rejected — were the trishul (trident), the ‘rising sun’ and ‘the mace’.
However, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena has already proposed Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray) as its alternative name while suggesting ‘the trident’ and ‘rising sun’ as two of their three symbols. (their third option being the torch which they finally secured)
Take A deep Breath Of Victory
Nonetheless, the Thackeray camp claimed the EC’s decision to be “a victory” of sorts with Uddhav faction leader Bhaskar Jadhav remarking that both Uddhav ji and Balasaheb’s name was part of their new party name, which proved that Mr. Uddhav Thackeray was the true legatee of Bal Thackeray’s ideals.
The Shinde camp too expressed satisfaction that its new party name (Balasaheb’s Shiv Sena) underscored that they had Bal Thackeray’s blessings and that their faction was the one carrying forward the Sena founder’s ideals.
Meanwhile, incarcerated Sena MP and Uddhav loyalist Sanjay Raut, remarked that “a new symbol would bring a new revolution for the party”.
“It has happened thrice, including during the time of Indira Gandhi and has happened with the Janata Party as well,” Mr. Raut.
Davendra Fadnavis’s View
Hitting out at Mr. Uddhav and his faction, BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the Thackeray’s faction’s ‘whining’ is “completely political” and that it had become a fashion to target institutions whenever they did not get a favourable decision from them.
