Both Uddhav and Shinde camps upset with ECI

Mumbai: The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) interim order freezing the name and the symbol of the Shiv Sena is a jolt to Uddhav Thackeray and his party, coming as it does just weeks ahead of a crucial legislative assembly by-poll in Andheri east. The Eknath Shinde faction has no stake in that poll as the seat is being contested by a BJP candidate.

On Saturday evening, Anil Parab, former minister and senior leader from the Uddhav camp, said that Thackeray was considering 3 symbols from the list of 197 symbols made available by the EC and also those symbols which were not ‘prohibited’. Both factions of the Shiv Sena have to send their three final choices of name and symbols to the ECI by 1 pm on Monday. In the past the Shiv Sena has contested elections on different symbols like the railway engine, a pair of palm trees and a sword and shield. Only as recently as 1989, after the party sent 4 MPs to the Lok Sabha, was the Sena given the bow-and-arrow symbol. As for the party’s name, it was decided by the social reformer ‘Prabodhankar’ Keshav Sitaram Thackeray (the father of late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray) during the party’s launch in 1966.

Former Lok Sabha MP and Shiv Sena leader Chandrakant Khaire termed the EC’s decision “shocking,” and attributed political motives. The party’s Lok Sabha MP Arvind Sawant too alleged that due consideration had not been given to either the Shinde faction’s original petition or the Uddhav faction’s response.

“We submitted our reply to the ECI on Saturday morning, and the order freezing the name and symbol was issued that evening itself. This was done without a hearing,” he said, while attacking the Commission.

The Eknath Shinde camp too expressed unhappiness at the ECI’s move as they had been hoping to get the party name and symbol. They would consult legal experts, they said on Saturday evening. Both factions have called a meeting of their leaders on Sunday. “Our claim is on the bow-and-arrow symbol as we are the real Shiv Sena of Balasaheb (Thackeray). We will put forth our stance before the ECI and are sure of getting justice,” said school education minister Deepak Kesarkar, who is also the Shinde camp’s spokesperson. He claimed that over 70 per cent Shiv Sainiks were with Shinde.

Former advocate general of Maharashtra Shreehari Aney said the EC’s decision was on the expected lines. In the past the EC had taken a similar call when there was a split in the Congress and the Jana Sangha. “Any faction can submit more affidavits than the other to prove majority, but ultimately, majority is proven in the election and on the basis of voters’ support,” he said.

The Sena’s bow and arrow symbol is gone for good as is the party’s name. “The original symbol is history. After fighting polls on an alternative symbol, no party can afford to go back to the old symbol. It’s confusing,” he added.

With the symbol and party name gone Uddhav has a challenge on his hands to convince voters in the Andheri east assembly by-poll to back his candidate. The by-poll has been necessitated by the demise of Sena MLA Ramesh Latke, and the party has fielded his wife Rutuja against Murji Patel of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Shinde faction has planned to not field a candidate in the by-election and support the BJP candidate instead. A win here will set the tone for the key political players for the municipal polls that follow including the all-important BMC elections.

However, a Shiv Sena leader said they were confident of taking the new name and symbol to the masses using the power of social and traditional media and also its strong cadre base to ensure last-mile connectivity. “We can fight and win even in these circumstances,” he claimed.