Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 18: Giving a major boost to the sagging morale of the former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray who was deprived of the party name and its election symbol given to the rival Eknath Shinde faction by the Election Commission of India, a huge mob of Shiv Sena supporters gathered outside “Matoshree,” the family home of the Thackerays, on Saturday expressing their solidarity with the son of the Sena founder Bal Thackeray.
Bolstered by their boisterous support, Thackeray on Saturday raised the pitch of his attack on the ECI which he said had become a “slave” of the prime minister Narendra Modi. “The Election Commission, PM [Narendra] Modi’s slave, has done something that has never happened before,” he said, urging his supporters to be patient and prepare for the next elections – the high-stakes contest for Mumbai’s civic body BMC.
Thackeray addressed the crowd standing out of the sunroof of his car, evoking the image of his fancied father who famously used to address followers from the roof of his car in the party’s early days. The party’s symbol has been “stolen” and the “thief” needs to be taught a lesson, Thackeray said, a remark aimed at Shinde, the incumbent Maharashtra Chief Minister.
Calling the poll panel’s decision a “murder of democracy,” Thackeray said he would approach the Supreme Court against the decision. “They should first understand Balasaheb. They have come to know that ‘Modi’s face does not attract people in Maharashtra anymore so they have to put Balasaheb’s mask on their face for their own benefit. I had said that ECI should not give a decision before the SC verdict. If the party’s existence is decided based on the number of MLAs and MPs, any capitalist can purchase MLA, MP and become CM,” Uddhav Thackeray said.
He said they have the support of people and will go to them. “We will surely go to the Supreme Court against this EC order. We are sure that the SC will set aside this order,” Thackeray said, even as the Shinde faction supporters celebrated ECI’s order by bursting crackers in various parts of the state.
Thackeray’s team, who had urged the Election Commission to wait for a Supreme Court verdict in the case, has said they will challenge the decision in the top court. The tussle between the two sides is being heard by the Supreme Court.
Shinde had mounted a rebellion in June, flying away with over 40 Sena MLAs with the help of the BJP, and triggering the eventual ouster of Mr Thackeray’s government that included two ideologically disparate allies in the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party.
In a 78-page order on the protracted battle for control of the party, the Election Commission said Mr Shinde was supported by MLAs with 76 per cent of the party’s winning votes in the 2019 Maharashtra assembly polls.
The poll body said the Uddhav Thackeray faction can keep the name ‘Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’ and the ‘flaming torch’ symbol assigned last year.
Even as the Shinde faction’s alliance partner BJP believed that the ECI’s Friday’s order recognising Shinde faction as the “real Shiv Sena” coupled with the Supreme Court’s refusal to refer the fight between the two Sena factions to a seven-judge constitution bench would help attracting the Sena fence-sitters to the ruling faction and provide a huge boost in the coming crucial elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the country’s richest civic body, as well as the next year’s parliamentary elections. Maharashtra with 48 Lok Sabha seats is crucial in NDA’s designs to retain power in Delhi.
The Nationalist Congress Party chief and the veteran leader Sharad Pawar, however, did not feel the ECI decision against Thackeray faction would mean much for the party. Stating that it would not have any major impact, he also stressed that the people would accept the new symbol.
“It’s the decision of the Election Commission. Once a decision is given, there can be no discussion. Accept it and take a new symbol. It (the loss of the old symbol) is not going to have any major impact as people will accept (the new symbol). It just would remain in the discussion for the next 15-30 days, that’s it,” Pawar said.
He recalled the Congress having to change its symbol from two bullocks with a yoke to hand and said the people would accept the new symbol of Uddhav Thackeray faction like the way they accepted the Congress’ new symbol. “I remember Indira Gandhi also faced this situation. Congress used to have a ‘two bullocks with a yoke’ symbol. Later they lost it & adopted ‘hand’ as a new symbol & people accepted it. Similarly, people will accept the new symbol (of Uddhav Thackeray faction),” he said.
