Big blow to Uddhav Thackeray: Eknath Shinde faction is real 'Shiv Sena', rules election commission
Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut and Eknath Shinde
In a huge blow to former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has ruled that Eknath Shinde faction would be now known as the party 'Shiv Sena'.The Election Commission on Friday recognised the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and ordered 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 bypolls in the state.
The Commission said 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 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 in a unanimous order, reports PTI.
Shinde, the current chief minister of western Indian state of Maharashtra, had led a rebellion within the erstwhile Shiv Senaheaded by Uddhav Thackeray, the former chief minister of Maharashtra.
Sheetal Mhatre, the spokesperson of the Shinde faction, took to Twitter to share her happiness.
The tweet in Marathi roughly translates to 'Glory to Shiv Sena, Glory to Balasaheb Thackeray. We got Shiv Sena as well as thebow and arrow symbol'.
Sanjay Raut, an Uddhav Thackeray faction leader and Member of Parliament, however, levelledthe allegation that the 'script' of handing over Shiv Sena to Eknath Shinde had been ready and that corruption and bribery played a large part in what had happened.
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The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader further said that the Election Commission of India's decision to recognise the Eknath Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena was a "murder of democracy"
and added that his party will "go to the people".
Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CM of Maharashtra and BJP leader, took to Twitter as well to congratulate Shinde.
(With inputs from agencies)