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Sena vs Sena LIVE Updates: The Supreme Court will hear the petition filed by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray challenging the decision of the Election Commission of India (ECI) recognising the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and ordering allocation of the “bow and arrow” poll symbol to it, on Wednesday. A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court will also hear cases related to the rift in the Shiv Sena party, which led to the political changes in Maharashtra in June-July 2022.
Shinde’s revolt against Thackeray’s leadership last June brought down the Thackeray-led Sena-Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra. The rival factions led by Shinde and former CM Uddhav Thackeray are locked in legal battles over the control of the Shiv Sena. The Thackeray camp has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the Shinde group’s defection and the way the Shinde-led government was formed with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Meanwhile, following the EC’s decision to give the Shiv Sena name and symbol to Eknath Shinde, a national executive meeting of the party was called on Tuesday to decide the future course of action. At the meeting, Shinde was announced as the ‘Mukhya Neta’ (chief leader) of Shiv Sena and was given all rights to take decisions related to the party.
This was the first national executive meet that happened without a single Thackeray family member and was attended by the top leaders of the Eknath Shinde camp.
The Shinde faction had removed the designation of “party chief”, which it believes belongs to Shiv Sena supremo late Balasaheb Thackeray.
The national executive also passed a few resolutions unanimously, including proposals like a demand for the Bharat Ratna to VD Savarkar, Marathi language to get status of elite language, son of soils should be given 80 per cent jobs in the state, renaming the Churchgate railway station in memory of Chintaman Rao Deshmukh, providing coaching to Marathi students for MPSC and UPSC exams, etc.
It resolved to form a disciplinary committee, which would be headed by state ports development minister Dada Bhuse; excise minister Shambhuraj Desai and Sanjay More will be its other members. The Committee will have the power to take against party leaders who “act against the party lines.”
Furthermore, the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led camp on Wednesday also got control of the party’s Parliamentary office in Delhi. The move came a day after the Shinde camp took control of the Sena office in the Maharashtra legislative building.
However, Maharashtra cabinet minister Deepak Kesarkar has said the Eknath Shinde faction is not interested in taking over the Shiv Sena Bhavan in Mumbai or any other property linked to the rival camp headed by former CM Uddhav Thackeray, who he claimed, was trying to gain sympathy over the issue after an Election Commission ruling.
Kesarkar, a spokesperson of the Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, said his outfit is not even interested in laying claim to party funds after the EC recognised their group as the real Shiv Sena.
He said Shinde has already made it clear his faction is not interested in staking claim to the Shiv Sena Bhavan, the party headquarters at Dadar in central Mumbai, or any property linked to the Thackeray group, and that the school of thoughts advanced by Sena founder late Bal Thackeray was their real asset.
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