In the midst of an ongoing dispute between the Eknath Shinde faction and the Uddhav Thackeray faction over these rights, the Election Commission ruled on Friday that the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena will receive the official name of Shiv Sena and the bow-and-arrow symbol of the Balasaheb Thackeray-founded party. The two groups have been staking claims to the Shiv Sena name and the original symbol of the bow and arrow since the rebellion led by Eknath Shinde that brought down the Uddhav Thackeray government. The bow and arrow emblem was suspended while the matter was being handled by the election board. The Shinde faction was given two swords and a shield for the bypoll, while the Uddhav party was given a flaming torch.
“Today is significant for us. As we have previously stated, the choice will be made on the basis of merit. We have claimed to be the genuine Shiv Sena. Now that we have the symbol and the party name to give us an advantage, many Shiv Sena (UBT) men will flock to us “The spokesperson for the Eknah faction was Sheetal Mhatre.
The commission observed that the Shiv Sena party’s current constitution is undemocratic in its ultimate ruling. It has been distorted by the undemocratic appointment of coterie members as office holders with no voting at all. Such party systems don’t encourage trust.
“Elections for office bearers should be free, fair, and transparent, and political parties’ constitutions should also outline a reasonable process for resolving internal conflicts. These procedures should be difficult to change and should only be changed with the backing of a majority of the organization’s members “the ECI reported.
Sanjay Raut, an MP for the Uddhav Thackeray party, claimed that the order has damaged the Election Commission’s reputation and that Uddhav’s group will now appeal the ruling in court.
