Uddhav Thackeray faction says EC order on symbol and party name 'hasty', shows it works 'as BJP agent'
Feb 17, 2023
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 17 : Following the Election Commission of India's (ECI) order that the party name "Shiv Sena" and the symbol "Bow and Arrow" will be retained by the Eknath Shinde faction, Uddhav Thackeray faction said that the haste shown by the Election Commission of India (ECI) shows it works as a "BJP agent".
"The order is what we had suspected. We had been saying that we do not trust the EC. When the matter is sub-judice before Supreme Court and no final decision has been taken, this haste by EC shows it works as a BJP agent under Central Government," Uddhav Thackeray faction spokesperson Anand Dubey said while condemning the ECI decision.
Notably, both factions of Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray) have been fighting for the bow and arrow symbol of the party since Shinde (present Maharashtra Chief Minister) revolted against Thackeray last year. The rebellion led to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.
The Commission observed that the current constitution of the Shiv Sena party is undemocratic. It has been mutilated to undemocratically appoint people from a coterie as office bearers without any election at all. Such party structures fail to inspire confidence.
In a landmark decision with far-reaching implications on political parties and their conduct, ECI advised all political parties to reflect democratic ethos and principles of inner party democracy and regularly disclose on their respective websites aspects of their inner party functioning, such as organisational details, holding of elections, the copy of Constitution and list of office bearers.
"The Constitution of SS amended in 2018 is not given to ECI. Amendments had undone the act of introducing democratic norms in the Party Constitution of 1999, brought by the Late Balasaheb Thackeray at the insistence of the Commission," the ECI added.
The ECI observed that the undemocratic norms of the original Constitution of Shiv Sena, which was not accepted by the Commission in 1999 have been brought back in a surreptitious manner further making the party akin to a fiefdom.
