SC to hear Uddhav's plea against EC's decision recognising Eknath faction as real Shiv Sena

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear on Wednesday (February 22) the Uddhav Thackeray faction’s plea challenging the decision of the Election Commission recognising the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and ordering allocation of the “bow and arrow” poll symbol to it.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Thackeray faction, mentioned the matter before a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices Krishna Murari and P S Narasimha on Tuesday.

“If the EC order is not stayed then they will take over the symbol and the bank accounts. Please list it tomorrow before the Constitution bench,” Sibal submitted. The top court said it needs to go through the case files and posted the matter for hearing at 3.30 pm on Wednesday.

The Election Commission on February 17 had recognised the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and ordered the allocation of the “bow and arrow” poll symbol to it. In a 78-page order on the protracted battle for control of the organisation, the Commission allowed the Uddhav Thackeray faction to keep the “flaming torch” poll symbol allocated to it till the completion of the Assembly by-polls in the state.

Also read: Sena name and symbol row: Time to dissolve EC, says Uddhav Thackeray

The Commission said MLAs backing Shinde got nearly 76 per cent of votes polled in favour of the 55 winning Shiv Sena candidates in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls. The Uddhav Thackeray faction’s MLAs got 23.5 per cent of votes polled in favour of the winning Shiv Sena candidates, the three-member Commission said.

National executive meet by Ekanath Shinde faction

Meanwhile, the Eknath Shinde faction will hold its first key national executive meeting today four days after the Election Commission gave it the Shiv Sena name and the bow-and-arrow party symbol. In this meeting MLAs, MPs and other Shiv Sena leaders, who have been working with Shinde since he broke away from the party led by Uddhav Thackeray, will take part.

According to media reports quoting sources Shinde is likely to appoint new local leaders at the Sena’s national executive meet this evening. This meeting is critical also because the Maharashtra CM will be able to show his support base within the party even as Thackeray has been attacking him trying to gain the loyalty of the workers.

On Monday, the CM also made it clear that his party would not stake claim to any properties of Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena, including the Shiv Sena Bhavan, its headquarters.

Also read: Shiv Sena symbol row: Uddhav’s faction moves SC against EC decision

“We do not have a greed for wealth or any property. I am officially announcing with authority that we will not stake claim to any property,” Shinde said.

After the EC decision, Uddhav Thackeray had told the media, “The EC order is wrong. The Supreme Court is the last ray of hope. There is not a single instance where the party name and symbol were directly given to one faction.  What was the need for the EC to make this decision in a hurry?”