Election Commission cannot change a political party’s name, says Uddhav Thackeray
The poll panel has allocated Shiv Sena’s name and bow and arrow symbol to Eknath Shinde, who led a rebellion against Thackeray’s leadership and spilt the party.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said that the Election Commission can allot an electoral symbol to a party but does not have the power to change its name, PTI reported.
“The name Shiv Sena was given by my grandfather, how can the Election Commission change the name?” Thackeray asked during a tour of Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region. “I will not allow anyone to steal the name of the party.”
The Shiv Sena split in June last year after Eknath Shinde led a rebellion by a group of legislators against Thackeray’s leadership, precipitating the collapse of the previous Maharashtra government that was run in coalition by the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.
Both factions, claiming to be the real Shiv Sena, had approached the Election Commission seeking the party’s name and the electoral symbol.
Earlier, it wasn't new to break the parties. Now, parties are being stolen. Election Commission has no right to give our party's name to someone else: Uddhav Thackeray pic.twitter.com/LfhYsvlvLA
— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2023
On February 17, the poll panel recognised the Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena and allocated the party name and the bow and arrow symbol to his group.
Thackeray’s faction was allocated a symbol of a flaming torch and named the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
Thackeray has challenged the decision before the Supreme Court. On Monday, a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha said that the matter will be heard on July 31.
Uddhav Thackeray accuses BJP of ‘splitting’ other parties
On Monday, Thackeray accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of “splitting” other political parties as it was not confident of winning elections on its own, PTI reported.
He also asked the BJP why it needed to split other parties when it claimed to have the “number one prime minister in world”.
“You are stealing the Shiv Sena, you have also stolen the NCP [Nationalist Congress Party] and you will steal some other tomorrow,” Thackeray said. “You sell off what belongs to the country and rob what belongs to others.”
A political drama unfolded on July 2 as Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar, after months of speculation and dithering, joined the ruling Eknath Shinde-BJP dispensation. Eight other Nationalist Congress Party MLAs were also inducted as ministers in the Maharashtra government.
During his tour on Monday, Thackeray accused the BJP of raising contentious issues to divert the attention of people ahead of elections.
“Now they have brought the issue of Uniform Civil Code and confused the people in a bid to win polls, and then leave the issue aside once the elections are over,” the former Maharashtra chief minister said.