New Delhi: A day after the Election Commission (EC) issued an interim order freezing the ‘bow and arrow’ election symbol of the Shiv Sena, the faction led by Uddhav Thackeray released a poster with a new party symbol, new name 'ShivSena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)'.
"The new symbol, new name 'ShivSena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)' -we're extremely proud of Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray. He has worked as a Chief Minister, saving thousands of lives in Maharashtra. We have been a truthful honest govt, working for the people," said Aaditya Thackeray, minister in Uddhav Thackeray's Maha Vikas Aghadi government as reported by news agency ANI.
"Everyone knows how he has worked. It also has the name of Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray in it. Most importantly, the 'Mashaal' (flaming torch) is something we will take with pride to every home," he said.
The Thackeray faction welcomed the Commission order and began publicising its new name and symbol on the party's social media handles.
"We are happy that the three names that matter to us most – Uddhav ji, Balasaheb and Thackeray - are retained in the new name," Thackeray loyalist and former Maharashtra minister Bhaskar Jadhav said as reported by PTI.
Earlier in the day, The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction moved the Delhi High Court on Monday seeking quashing of the Election Commission's order freezing the party's name and election symbol, PTI reported. In the petition, Thackeray said the EC's order was passed in complete violation of principles of natural justice and without granting any hearing to the parties.
The petition has arrayed ECI and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknathrao Sambhaji Shinde as parties, PTI reported.
The ECI had, on October 8, frozen the Sena's 'bow and arrow' symbol and barred the groups led by Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde from using the party name for the November 3 Andheri (East) bypoll in Mumbai.
The EC also asked them to suggest three different name choices and as many free symbols for allocation to their respective groups.
On Monday, both the warring factions of the Shiv Sena formally submitted to the Election Commission their choice of three symbols and names each.
Thackeray said his camp had submitted three names for approval to the EC -- "Shiv Sena Balasaheb Thackeray, Shiv Sena Balasaheb Prabodhankar Thackeray, and Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray".
Thackeray said his faction had also submitted to the EC three options for the poll symbol -- a rising sun, a burning torch (mashaal), and a trident.
In an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Samaana', the Uddhav-led Sena faction promised to "bounce back" from the Election Commission's decision to freeze the party's name and symbol, which it called nothing short of "injustice".
The editorial said the EC took a "cruel" decision to "finish off the Shiv Sena founded by Bal Thackeray" because of the objections raised in front of it by the "traitors" led by Eknath Shinde
"This (EC decision) is the sin of Delhi. Dishonest persons carried out this dishonesty. But we would like to assure we will stand strong despite innumerable catastrophes," the editorial further said.
The "real facilitator" of these chain of events is the BJP with its former state unit chief Chandrakant Patil himself claiming the plan to split the Shiv Sena was underway for the past two-and-half years, the Uddhav Thackeray faction alleged in the editorial.
(With inputs from PTI)