MUMBAI: Amid the Supreme Court hearing over the Shiv Sena party name and election symbol, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.
Sources said reports emerging from the Supreme Court proceedings over the past two days have not been encouraging for Shinde. The hearing is in its final stages, and the judgment is expected to be delivered soon.
"Shinde knows that if he loses the party name and symbol, it will be difficult to build a new party and establish a fresh political identity. He has consistently projected himself as the true ideological heir of the late Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe, carrying forward their Hindutva agenda. He is hoping for some relief, and that concern was conveyed during his meetings with the BJP's top leadership," a source, requesting anonymity, said.
Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MPs also met Prime Minister Modi, who reportedly assured them that "nothing wrong will happen" and that the party name and symbol would remain with Eknath Shinde.
"Shinde was in Delhi to meet the BJP's top leadership as well as legal experts to present his case strongly. If he loses the party name and symbol, he and his supporters may be left with no option but to merge with the BJP or another smaller party. Such a move would not be politically beneficial for Shinde. Therefore, retaining the Shiv Sena name and symbol under any circumstances has become a crucial battle for him," another source, requesting anonymity, said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MP Arvind Sawant, however, said the Supreme Court proceedings have made it clear that the Shiv Sena belongs to Uddhav Thackeray and that the party name and symbol should be restored to him.
"Eknath Shinde realised that Uddhav Thackeray is likely to regain control of the Shiv Sena. That is why he rushed to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking their help to retain the party name and symbol. But this time, no one can help him because the court cannot deliver a judgment contrary to the law. We are confident that we will get both the party and the symbol," Sawant said.
A Shiv Sena leader, however, dismissed the significance of the court's oral observations, saying they should not be interpreted as an indication of the final verdict.
"The Supreme Court may make oral observations that appear to favour Uddhav Thackeray, but the final judgment could be entirely different. The same happened when D.Y. Chandrachud was the Chief Justice of India. Similar observations were made during the hearing, but the final outcome was different. We believe the same will happen this time as well," the leader said.
