Uddhav Thackeray camp suggests trident among three election symbols

New Delhi, October 9

The Uddhav Thackeray-faction of the Shiv Sena on Sunday submitted to the Election Commission (EC) its three options of a “trident”, “rising Sun” and “mashaal” (burning torch) for its poll symbol, besides a list of three names of the party ahead of the November 3 Andheri East Assembly byelection.

The three names are Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray), Shiv Sena (Prabodhankar Thackeray) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray). The move came a day after the Election Commission froze Shiv Sena’s poll symbol “bow & arrow” amid the ongoing war between the Uddhav and Eknath Shinde camps for control of the organisation.

In its interim order, the commission asked them to suggest by Monday three different name choices and as many free symbols for allocation to their respective groups.

Talking to mediapersons in Mumbai, Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) MP Arvind Sawant said, “Our party’s name is Shiv Sena. If the EC approves any of the names related to it that will be acceptable to us.”

The bypoll to the Andheri East Assembly seat in suburban Mumbai has been necessitated due to the death of incumbent Sena MLA Ramesh Latke.

The Congress and the NCP have decided to support Ramesh Latke’s wife Rujuta Latke, the candidate of the Thackeray faction, their coalition partner in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

The BJP, an ally of the Shinde faction, has decided to field Murji Patel, a corporator in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Move post Sena symbol freeze

• The Election Commission froze Shiv Sena’s election symbol ‘bow & arrow’ on Saturday
• The move comes amid a war between Uddhav, Shinde camps over real Sena
• “The EC’s decision is unjust. It must finalise a symbol and a name soon,” says Uddhav
• “It seems they (Uddhav camp) have no affection for ‘bow & arrow’,” a Shinde loyalist says