Ekanth Shinde meeting: In a major development, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on Tuesday, was named the Shiv Sena chief following the much-awaited national executive meeting. This comes days after the Election Commission recognised his faction as the "real Shiv Sena" and directed the allocation of the 'bow and arrow' poll symbol to it.
Several MLAs, MPs and other Shiv Sena leaders who have been working with Shinde since he broke away from the party led by Uddhav Thackeray attended the meeting.
"Today we held a meeting under the leadership of CM Eknath Shinde. Eknath Shinde will be the chief of our Shiv Sena party. We accept him as the leader of Shiv Sena," said Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant.
Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar
As he was elected as the Shiv Sena chief, all powers of earlier party chief Uddhav Thackeray would be snatched. During the meeting, the leaders passed a resolution in which Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, also commonly known as Veer Savarkar, will be awarded the Bharat Ratna award.
Churchgate to be renamed
During the meeting, the leaders passed a resolution in which Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, also commonly known as Veer Savarkar, will be awarded the Bharat Ratna award. Also, the leaders agreed to rename Churchgate railway station to Chintaman Dwarakanath Deshmukh-- the first Indian to be appointed the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India in 1943 by the British Raj authorities. He subsequently served as the Finance Minister in the Union Cabinet.
Besides, the leaders also passed a resolution in order to provide 80 per cent employment to sons of soil (Bhoomiputra) in the state.
Earlier on Monday, Shinde said no claim will be laid on any party property post the Election Commission decision on the real Shiv Sena as "we are heirs of Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology and have no temptations". "I have no greed for property or funds of the Shiv Sena. I am a person who has always given something to others,” he had told reporters.
Those who were tempted by property and wealth took the wrong step in 2019, he had said in an apparent reference to Uddhav Thackeray breaking the Shiv Sena's alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party post the Assembly poll results over the sharing of the chief ministerial tenure.
