Ashish Ranjan
Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray escalated his criticism of the Election Commission on Saturday, a day after the commission gave the Shiv Sena party name and the bow-and-arrow emblem to his competitor and successor, Eknath Shinde.
“The Election Commission, Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi’s slave, has done something unprecedented,” he remarked, asking his followers to be patient and prepare for the next polls – the high-stakes race for Mumbai’s civic body BMC.
Mr. Thackeray addressed a big crowd gathered as a show of force in front of the Thackerays’ residence, Matoshree.He stood out of the sunroof of his automobile, echoing the image of his father Bal Thackeray, who in the early days of the party would address supporters from the roof of his car.
The party’s symbol has been “taken,” and the “thief” must be punished, Uddhav Thackeray said, referring to Mr Shinde, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
The Election Commission handed over the identity of the party formed by Mr. Thackeray’s father in 1966 to Mr. Shinde on Friday, capping a coup that has lasted nearly eight months.
The team of Mr. Thackeray, who had urged the Election Commission to wait for a Supreme Court ruling in the case, has stated that they will appeal the judgement to the highest court. The Supreme Court is weighing in on the dispute between the two sides.
Mr. Shinde had instigated a revolt in June, leading over 40 Sena MLAs to defect with the support of the BJP, ultimately leading to the removal of Mr. Thackeray’s cabinet, which included two ideologically divergent allies in the Congress and the National Congress Party.
In a 78-page ruling about the protracted struggle for leadership of the party, the Election Commission stated that Mr. Shinde had the backing of MLAs who won 76% of the party’s votes in the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections.
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The election commission stated that the Uddhav Thackeray faction may retain the name “Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray” and the symbol of a “flaming flame” assigned last year.Eknath Shinde hailed the decision as a “win for democracy” and, in response to Mr. Thackeray’s labelling of him as a “traitor,” stated that his opponent needed to “introspect.”
