Four days after getting the Bow and Symbol arrow, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde's-team will hold the first key meeting on Tuesday and will likely appoint new local leaders at the national executive meeting of his Sena faction this evening, according to a report by NDTV.
On the flip side, Uddhav Thackeray would be approaching the Supreme Court to cancel the Election Commission's decision to cancel the symbol given to Eknath Shinde's faction of Shiv Sena. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud for an early listing of the petition. The CJI, however, refused to pass any order.
In a big blow to Thackeray, the EC on Friday allotted the name 'Shiv Sena' and its poll symbol 'bow and arrow' to the group led by CM Shinde.
The decision of the EC to grant the name ‘Shiv Sena’ and the 'bow and arrow symbol' of the party to the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena faction headed by chief minister Eknath Shinde has now moved the Thackerays out of the party. The other faction – Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray – headed by the late founder’s son and former chief minꦐister Uddhav Thackeray is faced with the tough prospect of holding to the fast-dwindling base of the faction held on to by them.
The Thackerays also face the tough challenge of holding on to power at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) which the party has been ruling for over three decades. After the split in the Shiv Sena, both factions had staked claim to the name and registered symbol of the party. In the interim period, while the decision had been pending, the EC had frozen the registered symbol and the name (Shiv Sena) of the party and had allotted the flaming torch (Mashaal) symbol to the faction headed by Uddhav Thackeray. The two swords and shield symbol was allotted to the faction headed by Eknath Shinde.