MUMBAI: The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena on Saturday asked the Election Commission why it is in such a hurry to take a decision over the party’s bow and arrow symbol. Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde’s faction is not going to contest the bypolls for the Andheri-East Assembly seat, scheduled to take place on November 3, the former CM-led group argued.
The ECI had asked Uddhav’s camp to submit its documents by Saturday noon to prove itself as the real Shiv Sena to claim the party’s symbol. Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member Anil Desai said that they need time to submit these mammoth documents in the prescribed format. “We should get at least four more weeks to submit the 10 lakh affidavits we have collected and the 10 lakh documents about the primary members to EC,” he said.
Uddhav-led camp also said that 14 MLAs are on their side while 40 legislators supporting Shinde are facing disqualification charges. Besides, Uddhav is backed by 12 MLCs and seven Lok Sabha members while Shinde does not have a single MLC’s support, and the 12 Lok Sabha MPs aligning with him are facing disqualification, the EC was told.
The Uddhav camp further said that it has three Rajya Sabha members while there is no RS member in the Shinde group. It added that it has over 10 lakh primary members in comparison to the 1.66 lakh members in the Shinde group. Thackeray-led Shiv Sena argued that Uddhav’s post as party chief has not been challenged by Shinde.
“Eknath Shinde has accepted Uddhav Thackeray as the party’s president in their petitions. So, no claim about the symbol can be made without the party chief’s permission. Shinde has appointed himself to the post of chief leader. However, no such post exists in Shiv Sena’s constitution,” Desai said.