Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Uddhav Thackeray addressing a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Supreme Court decision on the disqualification of the Shiv Sena party’s rebel MLAs should come first and then the Election Commission of India’s decision on his party’s name and ‘Bow-and-Arrow’ poll symbol (whom the party belongs to), said Sena chief and former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday.
“We are fully confident that all the MLAs will be disqualified by the Supreme Court at the next hearing due on February 14,” he said.
Mr. Thackeray also asked why the Election Commission froze the Shiv Sena name and its ‘bow and arrow’ symbol when it has not been used by the party rebel and present Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction yet.
The Shiv Sena founded by the late Balasaheb Thackeray was split last June after a rebellion led by Eknath Shinde carried out a political coup, toppling the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Later, Mr. Shinde joined hands with Bharatiya Janata Party and became the Chief Minister, while former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis became his deputy.
Speaking to reporters at Matoshree, Thackerays’ private residence in suburban Bandra, the 62-year-old Sena chief said that the legislators rebelled in June after which the party approached the Supreme Court seeking their disqualification, while the dissidents sought to stake claim over the party in July.
He said that the legislative wing of the party is not the original party, “and if such logic is taken into consideration, anyone can become the prime minister or chief minister in the country using the power of money.”
Mr. Thackeray said that the Election Commission is yet to give its nod to conduct elections in the party, as his tenure as party chief ended on January 23.
Meanwhile, addressing a rally at Badnapur in Jalna district, Yuva Sena leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray said the ‘unconstitutional’ state government headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will not last long and fall very soon.
