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Shiv Sena name given by my grandfather; never wanted to be CM: Uddhav Thackeray
Uddhav Thackeray said the Election Commission has no right to snatch the name ‘Shiv Sena’ which was given by his grandfather Keshav Thackeray.
On the second day of his Vidarbha tour, former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said he never wanted to be the chief minister, but wanted the post for the Shiv Sena as he had promised to his father Balasaheb Thackeray. The Election Commission has no right to give the name Shiv Sena to anyone as the name was given by Uddhav's grandfather Keshav Thackeray, Uddhav said adding that the election body may decide on the poll symbol, but not the name.
Uddhav's tour comes amid the intense political crisis in Maharashtra as the Nationalist Congress Party has split between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar and the Ajit Pawar camp has joined the government. This is the second split of a party in the last year after Eknath Shinde rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray and bifurcated Shiv Sena.
Continuing his tirade against the BJP, Uddhav on Monday said parties breaking are not new but now they are being stolen. As Uddhav made this asserting against the Election Commission over the Shiv Sena name, the Supreme Court on Monday agreeed to hear Uddhav faction's plea on July 31 -- against EC's order that the Shiv Sena name and the symbol of the bow and arrow will go to the Eknath Shinde faction.
'How BJP handles new riff-raffs'
As speculations are rife that BJP inducted Ajit Pawar gang to the government because Shinde and his MLAs will be disqualified, Uddhav said if the BJP had kept its promise made in 2019, it would not have to carry the carpet of other parties. "I am waiting to see how BJP handles the new riff-raffs," Uddhav said on Sunday. Amid Uddhav's reiteration that Amit Shah promised 2.5 years of chief ministership for BJP and Shiv Sena each, Union miniser Ramdas Athawale said Shiv Sena demanded 2.5 years of chief minister post but Amit Shah never promised that.
