Mumbai: Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar on Saturday termed as “correct” the plan by Shiv Sena (UBT) to challenge the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision allotting the original ‘Shiv Sena’ name and ‘Bow-and-Arrow’ symbol to the breakaway group, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in the high court or Supreme Court.
The VBA entered into an electoral tie-up with Sena (UBT) last month and will contest the upcoming civic elections together.
Ambedkar said the Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray is on the right path to challenge the ECI’s move.
Nevertheless, the VBA chief also raised doubts whether taking the decision on a political party name and symbol was within the ECI’s domain or not.
Ex-Chief Minister and Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray has convened a meeting of all top party leaders in Mumbai this afternoon to chalk out the further strategy.
The Sena (UBT) – which is a constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Congress and Nationalist Congress Party – had entered into an independent alliance with Ambedkar’s VBA.
The ECI ruling has been flayed by the Sena (UBT) and the MVA allies in very strong words, terming it as “hasty, unexpected, injustice, amounts to death of democracy,” etc, while a furious Thackeray and other party leaders announced last night that they would move the courts against the decision.
The original ‘Shiv Sena’ with a symbol of ‘Bow-and-Arrow’ and logo of a tiger, was founded in June 1966 by the cartoonist-turned-politician, the late Balasaheb Thackeray.
However, the party split in June 2022, and the faction led by Uddhav Thackeray was given the name of Shiv Sena (UBT) with a new symbol of Flaming Torch, while the group led by Shinde was handed the identity of Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, till the ECI verdict of February 17 allotting it the original name-symbol.
