Uddhav vs Shinde: EC freezes Shiv Sena's ‘bow & arrow’ symbol ahead of bypoll

The election commission said Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena shall also be allotted different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the panel for the purposes of the current by-elections.

The Election Commission of India on Saturday passed an interim order directing that both Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde factions shall not use the name "Shiv Sena" or the symbol "bow and arrow" in the Andheri East bypolls till the matter is finally decided.

Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde

The election commission said both fractions shall also be allotted different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the panel for the purposes of the current by-elections. “Accordingly, both groups are hereby directed to furnish, latest by 1pm on October 10,” the order stated.

“The names of their groups by which they may be recognized by Commission and to this end, give three options in order of preference, anyone of which may be approved by the Commission and; the symbols which may be allotted to the candidates set up, if any, by the respective groups. They may indicate the names of three free symbols, in the order of their preference, anyone of which may be allotted to their candidates by the Commission,” the order said.

The order has been passed while considering a petition filed by Shinde for official recognition of his faction as the official Shiv Sena under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. On September 27, a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court had junked a plea made by the Thackeray group seeking a stay of the proceedings before the poll panel initiated by Shinde.

On Friday, the election commission had asked the Thackeray faction to respond by Saturday on rival Shinde group's claim on the party's "bow and arrow" election symbol in view of the upcoming assembly bypoll in the state.

The commission's directive came after the Shinde faction submitted a memorandum seeking it be allocated the symbol as the Andheri East assembly bypoll is approaching.

In a letter to Thackeray, the commission directed it to furnish comments along with requisite documents latest by 2pm on October 8.

The commission told Thackeray the Shinde faction had staked claim to the bow and arrow on October 4. The Andheri East bypoll was notified on Friday.

Shiv Sena leader Anil Desai, who belongs to the Thackeray faction, said the party would respond to the commission within the stipulated time.

The fresh claim to the bow and arrow election symbol by the Shinde faction is seen as an attempt to deny its use by the Thackeray group which has decided to field Rutuja Latke, the widow of MLA Ramesh Latke, for the November 3 bypoll.

The BJP, an ally of the Shinde faction, has decided to field Murji Patel, a corporator in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, for the bypoll necessitated due to the death of Ramesh Latke.

The Congress and the NCP have decided to support the candidate of the Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, their coalition partner in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

Shinde had raised a banner of revolt against Thackeray for entering into an "unnatural alliance" with the Congress and NCP. More than 40 of the Shiv Sena’s 55 MLAs had supported Shinde, forcing the resignation of Thackeray from the post of Maharashtra chief minister.

Twelve of the 18 Lok Sabha members of the Shiv Sena also came out in support of Shinde, who later claimed to be the leader of the original Shiv Sena.

(With inputs from PTI)