Shortly after the Election Commission on Friday recognized the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and ordered the allocation of the "bow and arrow" poll symbol to it, Chief Minster Shinde described the Commission's order as "victory of the majority, of democracy, of Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe's Hindutva ideology."
"Finally truth has prevailed," a visibly elated Shinde said.
Shinde thanked the 40 MLAs, 13 Lok Sabha MPs of Shiv Sena, and party workers who backed him in this big fight.
"The trust and faith of the people proved to be on our side," he claimed.
Shinde's supporters celebrated the verdict by bursting crackers at Varsha bungalow.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated Shinde and said that the ECI recognized Shinde factions as real Shiv Sena because they had an absolute majority on their side. He said this was going to happen because Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde followed the Hindutva ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray in the true sense.
Sanjay Raut, leader of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) said that the ECI order is the murder of democracy. “The Ravana has given Balasaheb's Shiv Sena and its symbol. We will go against the ECI decisions in court,” Raut said.