Sena vs Sena: Team Thackeray submits response to EC after Shinde group’s claim over party symbol

New Delhi, October 8

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction on Saturday submitted its response to the Election Commission, after its rival Eknath Shinde group approached the poll panel yesterday claiming the party’s ‘bow and arrow’ symbol.

Counsel for Thackeray faction S Jain said, “Yesterday we filed our preliminary reply and today also we filed a reply. We have submitted affidavits of our national executives and 2.5 lakh affidavits will be submitted within due course.”

Yesterday, the Shinde faction had submitted a memorandum seeking that the party symbol be allocated to it for the upcoming Andheri assembly bypoll. Following this, the poll panel had sought a response from the Thackeray faction, giving a timeline of 2 pm on Saturday.

Shinde had raised a banner of revolt against Uddhav Thackeray for entering into an “unnatural alliance” with the Congress and NCP. Over 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.

The groups are now engaged in a bitter power struggle over the control of the Shiv Sena- both claiming as being the ‘original’ and ideological heirs of party founder Balasaheb Thackeray.

The Thackeray group has fielded Rutuja Latke, the widow of MLA Ramesh Latke, for the November 3 Andheri assembly bypoll. The BJP, an ally of the Shinde faction, has given ticket to field Murji Patel, a corporator in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, for the bypoll necessitated due to the death of Ramesh Latke.