Nationalist Congress Party chief🅺 Sharad Pawar on Sunday said he has clarified his stand on the Election Commission's decision to recognise Eknath Shinde-lꦓed faction as the real 'Shiv Sena' and allocation of the 'bow and arrow' poll symbol to it, and will not get involved in the controversy over it.
In its decision on Friday, the EC allowed the Uddhav Thackeray faction to retain the name Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the ‘flaming torch’ poll s🌃ymbol, given to it in an interꦫim order in October last year, till the conclusion of the upcoming Assembly polls in the state.
Uddhav Thackeray had said the EC's order w🧜as "dangerous for democracy" and he would challenge it in the Supreme Court. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had described the EC's decision as the victory of truth and people.
Pawar on Friday said the loss of `bow and arrow' will not make any difference to the Uddha♎v Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction as people will acc👍ept its new poll symbol.
To a query from reporters over the issue on Sunday, the NCP chief, who was in Pune🍒's Baramati town, said, "I do not want to get involved in the controversy regarding the name and symbol given to Eknath Shinde. I have already clarified my stand onﷺ the same two days back."
Asked about Un🅷ion Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Pun♏e, Pawar said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was here for the Sahkar Maha Conclave.
"I was 🌟present at the opening ceremony of the event. There were talks about policies and is🗹sues in the field of cooperation (sahkar). There is no difference between us. I found his points were correctly mentioned during his speech," Pawar said.
Speaking at the Sahkar Maha Conclave on Banking and Sugar Industry organised by m♔edia group Sakal, Shah on Saturday said the cooperative sector in the coun☂try needs to introspect to improve its systems, and would receive full support from the Centre in this exercise.
Shah, who is the ﷽country's first Union Cooperation minister besides being the minister for Home Affairs, had also pointed to the drop in the number of cooperative sugar mills in Maharashtra and rise in the number of private ones.
-With PTI Input
