Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday offered a word of advice to his ally Uddhav Thackeray after the Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered that the party name 'Shiv Sena' and the party symbol "Bow and Arrow" will be given to the Eknath Shinde faction.
"It's the decision of the Election Commission. Once a decision is given, there can be no discussion. Accept it and take a new symbol. It (the loss of the old symbol) is not going to have any major impact as people will accept (the new symbol). It just would remain in the discussion for the next 15-30 days, that's it," Pawar said.
"I remember Indira Gandhi also faced this situation. Congress used to have a 'two bullocks with a yoke' symbol. Later they lost it & adopted 'hand' as a new symbol & people accepted it. Similarly, people will accept the new symbol (of Uddhav Thackeray faction)," he said.
The unrelenting Uddhav Thackeray faction however vowed to take up the fight to Supreme Court. Speaking at a press conference hours after the EC decision, Thackeray accused the poll panel of having become the Union government's slave. "Let the thieves rejoice for a few days," he said, reacting to the setback to his faction.
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