In a major setback for Uddhav Thackeray, the Election Commission of India has allotted (ECI) the name and symbol of Shivsena to the faction led by Eknath Shinde. The bow and arrow symbol, along with the name Shivsena, has been allotted to Shinde’s faction, essentially recognizing it as the original party founded by Balasaheb Thackeray.
The move comes after a rebellion led by Eknath Shinde resulted in the ousting of Uddhav Thackeray as the chief minister of Maharashtra. The power struggle between the two factions has been ongoing for some time, with both sides claiming to be the true representatives of the Shivsena party.
The decision by the Election Commission to allot the name and symbol to Eknath Shinde’s faction is a major blow to Uddhav Thackeray and his supporters. It essentially means that the faction led by Shinde will be able to contest elections using the name and symbol of Shivsena, while Thackeray’s faction will have to come up with a new name and symbol.
The EC in a 78-page order allowed the Uddhav Thackeray faction to keep the “flaming torch” poll symbol allocated to it till the completion of the assembly bypolls in the state. MLAs backing Eknath Shinde got nearly 76 per cent of votes polled in favour of the 55 winning Shiv Sena candidates in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the EC said.
“The constitution of political parties ought to provide for free, fair and transparent elections to the posts of office bearers and a further free and fair procedure for the resolution of internal disputes. These procedures ought to be difficult to amend and should be amendable only after ensuring larger support of the organisational members for the same,” the ECI said.
The Shivsena was founded by Balasaheb Thackeray in 1966 and has been a major force in Maharashtra politics ever since. It has been part of several governments in the state, including the current Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by the Shivsena-NCP-Congress alliance.
The power struggle within the Shivsena is not new. It has been simmering for some time, with Eknath Shinde and his supporters demanding a greater say in the party’s affairs. The rebellion came to a head when Shinde and several other MLAs demanded that Uddhav Thackeray step down as chief minister.
The decision by the Election Commission to allot the name and symbol of Shivsena to Eknath Shinde’s faction is likely to have far-reaching implications for Maharashtra politics. The Shivsena has been a major force in the state for decades, and the split within the party is likely to have an impact on the upcoming municipal elections in Mumbai and other parts of the state.
Overall, the decision is a significant setback for Uddhav Thackeray and his faction. It remains to be seen how they will respond to this development and what their next steps will be. However, for now, it is clear that Eknath Shinde’s faction has emerged victorious in this power struggle within the Shivsena party.
