It is facing mid-life crisis almost like Shiv Sena and AIADMK. Both regional parties have crossed 50 years of existence and are facing steep divisions with rival factions, both literally and symbolically fighting for the name.
Eknath ShindeShiv Sena rebel who led Maharashtra coup The party’s ‘bow and arrow’ is preparing to claim the election symbol against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The Shinde camp calls itself a true Shiv Sainik and a follower of Balasaheb Thackeray’s Hindutva.
Top of the agenda of the split Shinde faction is to ensure that the numbers are in their favor in the Assembly and they do not attract anti-defection laws. After this the question comes that who is the real Shiv Sena.
Mumbai-based political analyst Sanjay Jog says there are two key points to consider. Firstly, the majority in the state legislature has been questioned. Second, how Election The commission has so far ruled on disputes related to election symbols.
“The fight for the symbol will come later. Right now the Shinde camp is busy pretending that they are the “real Shiv Sena” and they have the support of 39 MLAs elected on the party’s symbol. Since he has crossed the two-third mark of 55 (the strength of Shiv Sena in the assembly), he argues that he will not face action under the anti-defection law. ,
They are claiming that they will not attract any action under the anti-defection law as they have more than two-thirds majority (among the legislator wing of the party),” Jog said.
“After the trust vote and overcoming the legislative and legal hurdles, they will try to take up the issue of symbol with the Election Commission. For this they require support as mentioned in the rules and norms of the Election Commission which is based on their region wise branches, district executive, and officers. It will definitely be countered by Shiv Sena,” he said. “But if they are qualified by the deputy speaker and upheld by the top court, the whole story will change.”
So which faction gets to keep the mark? Several analysts, to whom News18 said that merely having the numbers in his favor does not ensure that Eknath Shinde will get the party symbol or its name.
The “real Shiv Sena” will have to get majority support from all party office-bearers, MLAs and Members of Parliament. It is not enough to have a large number of MLAs in just one party to be recognized as a party,” said a senior party leader on condition of anonymity.
According to the anti-defection law, if the Shiv Sena faces a vertical split, with the Shinde faction having legislative power, the new faction will not be immediately recognized as a new political party, unless they Do not merge with any other party. The final decision rests with the Election Commission, which decides which faction gets the symbol after assessing the support of both the party’s organization and its legislature wing.
The ‘bow and arrow’ is not the only symbol on which the Election Commission will have to rule. Another tug of war is underway between E Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam, about 1,400 km from Mumbai. India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Rein.
In Tamil Nadu, the main issue is the demand for a majority to do away with the dual leadership. o panneerselvam (OPS) as Coordinator and Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) as Joint Coordinator. The pact between the leaders came after much turmoil in the AIADMK following the death of party supremo J Jayalalithaa in 2016.
There is also a tussle in the AIADMK over who will lead the party under a single leadership and who will be the real AIADMK or the leader of Amma’s choice, EPS or OPS.
A senior AIADMK functionary said, “It is the general council that decides the party supremo in the absence of a general secretary and is the party supremo.”
“The creation of the posts of joint coordinators is temporary in the absence of the General Secretary of the party. The powers of the GS are divided between these two coordinators. However, it is the GC that decides which way the wind blows. Had GS (Jayalalithaa) been alive, GS’s decision would have been final. Never in the history of the party, has any decision put by the GS been overruled by the General Council,” the leader said.
“There are already around 2,500 odd members who have given their written support for the party to EPS as its leader. Another 145 are missing because they may be busy or have personal commitments. Even if the OPS approaches the Election Commission, the Election Commission will find out who holds the two-thirds majority of the party’s office bearers. Same happened between Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav In Uttar Pradesh, ”the leader explained.
Interestingly, the power struggle for AIADMK’s election symbol ‘two patti’ was last seen in 2017 between rival factions led by Jayalalithaa’s confidant VK Sasikala and the OPS. Both laid claim on AIADMK.Iratai Elai‘ (two leaves) symbol, claiming to be true faithful.
As the fight snowballed, the Election Commission sealed the symbol and thereafter the 2017 RK Nagar by-election was fought under two new party names and symbols. The faction led by Panneerselvam was given the ‘lightning pole’ as the election symbol and was named AIADMK Puratchi Thalavi Amma. Team Sasikala decided to go with the name AIADMK Amma and was allotted a ‘cap’ for a symbol.
The ‘two leaves’ symbol has been the subject of rival claims in the past as well. In 1991, it was claimed by two factions, one led by former Assembly Speaker PH Pandian, a staunch AIADMK follower, and the other by Thirunavukkarasar, a former minister in the MG Ramachandran cabinet and now a Congress leader. Both approached the Election Commission for the symbol, but they were rejected outright.
The most intense battle for the AIADMK’s election symbol was seen in 1987, with MGR’s wife Janaki on one side and J Jayalalithaa, his disciple, on the other. After MGR’s death, Janaki and Jayalalithaa landed at the door of the Election Commission claiming the right to the symbol. At that time the Election Commission took a stand and did not recognize him as the “true successor” of the party. As soon as elections were held in Tamil Nadu, it allotted both the symbols separately.
Janaki’s faction was given the symbol of ‘two pigeons’, while Jayalalithaa was allotted the symbol of ‘cock crow’. Then came a twist in the story. Janaki’s camp suffered a defeat in the elections and won just two seats, while Jayalalithaa won 27. After the defeat, Janaki retired from politics, and the party was united under the leadership of Jayalalithaa. The Election Commission restored the symbol of ‘two leaves’ to his party which is now known as AIADMK.
With Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu in two separate battles for the party’s election symbols, the EC’s decision and decision-making logic will be keenly watched.
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