The rebel faction led by Shinde has claimed that his faction is real Shiv Sena even as the Election Commission (EC) has asked the Sena and Shinde factions to submit documents by August 8 in support of their claims for the party’s symbol ‘bow and arrow’.
The plea has been filed in a pending petition by Subhash Desai, the general secretary of the Shiv Sena, and seeks the nod of the top court to make the poll panel also a party. Sena has written to the EC requesting not to go ahead with the plea of the Shinde faction as petitions are pending in the Supreme Court.
Shinde faction has demanded to the EC that the party’s ‘bow and arrow’ election symbol must be allocated to them as the faction has received recognition in the Lok Sabha and the Maharashtra Assembly.
Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray while speaking to party workers in Mumbai on Sunday said that in the past leaders had revolted against the party, but now rebellion is to terminate Shiv Sena from the political map of Maharashtra. He challenged rebel leaders to face the elections without using the name of his father Bal Thackeray and Shiv Sena.
(with PTI inputs)