New Delhi: Maharashtra stalwart Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena – which was founded on June 19, 1966 – briefly ceased to exist on Monday as the Election Commission allotted different versions of the original nomenclature to two different party factions.
With two groups – one led by his son Uddhav Thackeray and the other by rebel Eknath Shinde – claiming the emblem of the Shiv Sena and its “bow and arrow”, one in the election body interim order Saturday asked the two to choose alternate names and symbols instead.
On Monday, Uddhav Thackeray’s faction was renamed as “Shiv Sena – Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray” and “torch“Or as the flaming torch symbol.
The Eknath Shinde group was given the name “Balasahebunchi Shiv Sena” but its demand”trident” either “bludgeon (mace)” were rejected as a symbol because of their religious connotations. They are asked to choose a new symbol.
Uddhav loyalist Bhaskar Jadhav said: “We are happy and consider it a big victory.”
Earlier in the day both the groups formally presented The party’s ‘bow and arrow’ symbol was frozen by the election panel to the Election Commission with each of the three symbols and names of their choice.
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