A day after the Election Commission (EC) dealt it a severe jolt by freezing the party’s name and symbol, the Shiv Sena submitted a list of names and symbols to the body, with Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray) and the trishul (trident) leading its choices. The Shinde faction is expected to submit its options to the EC on Monday.
The party is dealing with a peculiar situation—the election symbol it has had since 1989 has been frozen while it prepares for a prestige fight in the Andheri East assembly by-polls on November 3. Thackeray had thus urged the EC to allocate a name and symbol at the earliest.
The Shiv Sena’s advocate Vivek Singh wrote to the EC listing the choice of interim names—Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray), Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Prabodhankar Thackeray) in that order of preference. The trishul or trident tops the choices for the interim symbol, followed by the rising sun and the mashaal (flaming torch).
The symbols suggested by the Thackeray faction are not in the list of 197 symbols available with the EC and it is unclear whether the EC will allow either faction to pick a symbol not in the list. Former principal secretary of Maharashtra legislature Anant Kalse said it was at the discretion of the EC. “If either of the two factions is not happy with the EC decision, they have a right to challenge it in the high court or Supreme Court,” he pointed out.
The Shinde faction was closeted in a meeting on Sunday evening to discuss its options. “The real injustice has been done to us. We are the real Shiv Sena since we have the majority. We were not expecting this and thus were not prepared. We are holding a meeting now in which our leader Eknath Shinde ji will take a decision on the name and symbol,” said Uday Samant, state industries minister and spokesperson of the Shinde faction. There are speculations that the Shinde faction is considering the sword, trumpet and mace as their options for an election symbol.
As far as party names go, it is likely that both factions will list the same options.The Shinde faction is also considering names like ‘Shiv Sena Balasaheb Thackeray’ and ‘Shiv Sena Balasaheb Prabodhankar Thackeray’ among the options to be presented to the EC.
The Thackeray faction had written a letter to the EC, raising a “strong objection” to the manner in which the EC passed Saturday’s interim order without any opportunity for an oral hearing. “It is submitted that instant order of freezing of symbol, without affording opportunity of oral hearing, has been passed by the Commission for the first time in the history of symbol disputes…” read the letter.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray addressed people on social media on Sunday and charged that the rival camp led by chief minister Eknath Shinde was being used by the BJP to run the party to the ground. He said that the EC’s interim decision, which came after a dispute between the warring factions, was unjust. He accused Shinde and his associates of trying to break the unity of Maharashtrians.
In his around 22-minute address, Thackeray alleged that the Shinde camp “had not realised how it was being used by the BJP”, and claimed that the BJP would adopt the use-and-throw policy with its newfound allies. “Their utility came to an end the moment the symbol was frozen. Now nothing remains as they have created the turmoil that they wanted to… what is their use now?” he asked. Without naming Shinde directly, Thackeray dared the rebels to face the electorate without using the name of his father Bal Thackeray, and said they should form their own party or merge with the BJP.
“The EC decided to freeze the name and election symbol of the Shiv Sena. The Shiv Sena chief (Bal Thackeray) used to worship the bow-and-arrow symbol. It is worshipped even today, and has been kept in his devhara (pooja space). But the Ravana with 40 heads (Shinde and his 39 MLAs) has frozen Lord Shri Ram’s bow-and-arrow,” said Thackeray.
“We have shown patience but this is too much,” he continued. “It was tolerable to the point where someone felt that the son of the Shiv Sena supremo must not be the chief minister… but it is too much if they want to become the Shiv Sena chief themselves,” he charged, accusing Shinde of trying to hijack the party. Thackeray accused Shinde and his men of “stabbing their mother (the Shiv Sena) in her heart”.
Thackeray also targeted Shinde’s ally, the BJP. “They must be overjoyed, but the mahashakti (BJP) that is standing behind them must also be happy as they could achieve what they were unsuccessful in doing so far by breaking people from our ranks,” said Thackeray.
There are chances that the Shinde faction too will have the name of the Shiv Sena founder in the potential names to be submitted before the EC. “Since we are following Balasaheb’s ideology, we have the right to use his name in our party. This is something we had declared at the very beginning when we revolted against Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership,” said a senior leader from the Shinde faction.
The rebel MLAs led by Shinde on June 25 had named their group ‘Shiv Sena Balasaheb Thackeray’, even as the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena pressed for their disqualification from the assembly at the time. “Our group will be called Shiv Sena Balasaheb Thackeray. We will not merge with any party,” rebel Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar had said.