EC freezes Shiv Sena’s ‘bow & arrow’ symbol: 10 points

New Delhi, Oct 09: The Election Commission on Saturday barred the Shiv Sena factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde from using the party name and its election symbol in the Andheri East assembly bypoll. In an interim order over the claims by the rival factions for control of the organisation, the commission asked them to suggest by Monday three different name choices and also as many free symbols for allocation to their respective groups.

The interim order came on Saturday on the Shinde faction's request seeking it be allocated the symbol as the Andheri East assembly bypoll is approaching. "The Commission is duty bound to ensure that all electoral steps of the bye election are free of any confusion and contradiction and thus its next step are necessarily agnostic to the possibility of either of the faction participating in the poll," the interim order said.

The development in 10 points:

1. The rival factions had approached the Commission after the split in the Shiv Sena ranks in June, claiming to be the 'real Shiv Sena'. The Commission had earlier asked the rival groups to submit documentary proof on legislative and organisational support by August 8 to back their claims.
2. The deadline was extended to October 7 after the request of the Thackeray faction. On October 4, the Shinde faction had moved the Election Commission seeking the allocation of the bow and arrow poll symbol in view of the Andheri East assembly by-election that was notified on Friday.
3. "Neither of the two groups shall also be permitted to use the symbol 'Bow & Arrow' reserved for 'Shivsena'," the order read. "Both the groups shall be known by such names as they may choose for their respective groups, including, if they so desire, linkage with their parent party 'Shivsena'," it said. "Both the groups shall also be allotted such different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the Election Commission for the purposes of the current bye-elections," the order read.
4. The Commission has directed both the groups to furnish, latest by 1:00 PM on October 10, choices of names and symbols for their groups which may be allotted to them. The EC said the interim order will continue and "till the final determination of the dispute".
5. The last date for filing nominations for the November 3 bypoll is October 14. The fresh claim to the 'bow and arrow' election symbol by the Shinde faction is seen as an attempt to deny its use by the Thackeray group which has decided to field Rutuja Latke, the widow of MLA Ramesh Latke, for the bypoll.
6. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena termed the Election Commission's order barring both the Thackeray and Eknath Shinde factions from using the party name and election symbol in the coming Andheri East Assembly bypoll as "injustice".
7. The group led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on the other hand, termed the EC order appropriate. The poll body should have holistically taken a decision rather than passing an interim decision for the bypoll, said Ambadas Danve, Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council, a Thackeray loyalist.
8. Aaditya and other leaders of the Uddhav Thackeray faction have been accusing the rebels led by CM Shinde of committing treachery for the lure of "khoke" or boxes of cash. The November 3 bypoll to the Andheri East constituency in suburban Mumbai is the first electoral test for the Thackeray group after the split in the party in June this year, leading to the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.
9. "We will fight and win. We are on the side of the truth. Satyamev Jayate!" he said in the Marathi tweet. On his Instagram page, Aaditya posted Harivansh Rai Bachchan's famous poem "Agnipath.
10. The Congress and the NCP have decided to support the late Latke's wife Rujuta Latke, the candidate of the Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, their coalition partner in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA).