Shiv Sena meeting: The first National Executive meeting of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena will be held today (February 21) after the Election Commission of India (ECI) allotted the Shiv Sena name and 'Bow and Arrow' symbol to Shinde faction.
"Some new office bearers may be elected or appointed today in the meeting", said Deepak Kesarkar, Minister for School Education and Marathi Language in Maharashtra.
Election Commission order:
Earlier, the poll panel had on Friday (February 17) recognised the Eknath Shinde-faction as the real Shiv Sena and ordered the allocation of the bow and arrow election symbol of the undivided party founded by the late Balasaheb Thackeray to it.
In a 78-page order on the protracted battle for control of the organisation, the Commission allowed the Uddhav Thackeray faction to keep the flaming torch poll symbol allotted to it till the completion of the assembly by-polls in the state.
The Commission said the MLAs backing Shinde got nearly 76 per cent of votes polled in favour of the 55 winning Shiv Sena candidates in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The MLAs in the Uddhav Thackeray camp got 23.5 per cent of the votes polled in favour of the winning Shiv Sena candidates, the three-member Commission said.
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Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) allegations:
The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Monday (February 20) described the Election Commission's decision to allot the 'Shiv Sena' and the 'bow and arrow' symbol to the camp led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde camp as a "property deal".
It is no longer a secret that the name Shiv Sena and its poll symbol have been "purchased" like shopping of peanuts from an outlet, said an editorial in 'Saamana', the mouthpiece of the Sena (UBT). In a big blow to Uddhav Thackeray, the Election Commission on Friday allotted the name ‘Shiv Sena’ and its poll symbol ‘bow and arrow’ to the group led by CM Shinde.
The EC allowed the Thackeray faction to retain the name Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the ‘flaming torch’ poll symbol, given to it in an interim order in October last year, till the conclusion of the upcoming Assembly bypolls in the state
"The Election Commission treated the whole issue like a property deal and handed over Shiv Sena, nurtured by Thackeray, to those who are licking the boots of Delhi,” the Marathi publication claimed.
“It is also not hidden any longer that the 'bow and arrow' symbol of Shiv Sena was given because of the favour from Union Home Minister Amit Shah. This person is number of enemy of Maharashtra and Marathi people. Those who are aligning with Shah should be seen as enemies of Maharashtra,” it claimed.
(With agencies inputs)
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