Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde faction met the Election Commission (EC) on Friday, claiming ownership of the party's 'bow and arrow' poll symbol. The EC has written to Uddhav Thackeray, asking a response on the claim by tomorrow at 2:00 p.m, reports ABP News.
The development comes ahead of the Maharashtra assembly bypoll in Andheri East.
The move by the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena is seen as a bid to deny the 'bow and arrow' election symbol to the Uddhav Thackeray group which has decided to field Rutuja Latke, widow of MLA Ramesh Latke, for the November 3 bypoll, reports PTI.
"We are meeting the Election Commission on Friday in connection with the party election symbol," Rahul Shewale, leader of the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The BJP, a Shinde faction ally, has decided to field Murji Patel, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation corporator, in the bypoll necessitated by Ramesh Latke's death.
The Congress and the NCP have decided to back the candidate of the Shiv Sena's Thackeray faction, their coalition partner in Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
The Andheri East bypoll is the first since Shinde and the BJP deposed the MVA government in June, and political analysts see it as a precursor to the resolution of Shinde and Thackeray's claims to be the "real Shiv Sena," PTI reported.
Shinde had raised a revolting banner against Thackeray for forming a "unnatural alliance" with the Congress and NCP. More than 40 of the Shiv Sena's 55 MLAs backed Shinde, forcing Thackeray to resign as Maharashtra Chief Minister.
Twelve of the 18 Lok Sabha members of the Shiv Sena also came out in support of Shinde, who later claimed to be the leader of original Shiv Sena.
(With Inputs From PTI)