The Election Commission had asked both the groups to give a list of three names and symbols.
New Delhi:
Sources in the Election Commission said that Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray faction has given a list of three names and symbols for the upcoming bypoll in Andheri East in Mumbai.
He said, ‘Shiv Sena Balasaheb Thackeray’ is the first choice for the name and ‘Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’ is the second choice.
Following a dispute between warring factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde, the Election Commission had yesterday put on hold the Shiv Sena’s name and its ‘bow and arrow’ symbol and asked the two to give a list of three names and symbols. of which the ECI will allot one to each.
The election body’s intervention comes months after an open rebellion in the Shiv Sena by Eknath Shinde and his loyalists, who joined hands with the BJP to form a new government with Mr Shinde as chief minister. The rebels have been claiming the party that the Thackeray camp is a minority without popular support in the party.
According to the interim order of the Election Commission, both the groups will now have to choose new names. They will be allocated different symbols, which they can choose from a list of available free symbols.
The commission had earlier asked rival groups to submit documentary evidence on legislative and organizational support by August 8 to support their claims.
The deadline was extended to October 7 following a request from the Thackeray faction. In view of the Andheri East assembly by-polls notified on Friday, the Shinde faction had approached the Election Commission on October 4, seeking allotment of election symbols.