Uddhav Thackeray approaches Delhi HC challenging EC order freezing Shiv Sena name, poll symbol

Days after the Election Commission of India (ECI) froze Shiv Sena’s party name and symbol ahead of the Andheri Vidhan Sabha bypolls, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party unit on Monday moved the Delhi High Court challenging the election body’s decision.

On October 8, the ECI, in its interim order, prevented both the Eknath Shinde and the Uddhav Thackeray factions from using the party name and its ‘bow and arrow’ symbol after the Supreme Court allowed the ECI to go ahead with adjudicating the matter concerning the party’s fate. The ECI had sought responses from both the factions by Monday over determining a name and a symbol to their respective factions.

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While both factions submitted three choices regarding their respective symbols to the ECI, two of the Shinde faction’s symbols matched with that of the symbols given by the Thackeray faction. The ‘rising sun’ and the ‘trident’ symbols given by the Shinde faction clashed with that of Thackeray’s. While the Thackeray faction has submitted a trident, a burning torch, and rising sun, the Shinde faction has submitted rising sun, a trident and a mace as their choice of symbols. On the other hand, the Thackeray faction has submitted three names for their unit — Shiv Sena Balasaheb Thackeray, Shiv Sena Balasaheb Prabodhankar Thackeray, and Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray.

Meanwhile, Thackeray has approached the Delhi HC over ECI’s decision to freeze the party’s name and symbol, claiming that it was in violation to the principles of natural justice in its petition. The Thackeray faction further alleged that the decision was taken in haste without consulting the parties involved.

However, Thackeray’s petition has challenged ECI’s October 8 order, contending it was passed in complete violation of principles of natural justice and without granting any proper hearing to the parties.

Also Read | Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena gives 3 choices for poll symbol – trident, rising sun or burning torch

The Thackeray faction will be fielding a candidate for the Andheri East bypolls, which was necessitated after the death of its MLA Ramesh Latke earlier this year. With October 14 fixed as the last date to file nominations, the ECI is expected to come to a decision regarding the party name and symbol before that.