#Mashal vs what? Maharashtra awaits for ECI's symbol allotment to Shinde Faction after 'Flaming Torch allotted to Thackeray faction'
11 Oct 2022 10:17:58
Mumbai, Oct 10: Election Commission of India on Monday (Oct 10) allotted 'Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)' as the party name to the Udhhav Thackeray faction and the 'flaming torch (Mashal)' as its election symbol ahead of Nov 3 bypoll in Andheri East.
The poll panel declined to allot 'Trishul', 'Rising Sun' and 'Gada' as symbols as they are "not in the list of free symbols". It asked the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena to furnish a list of three fresh symbols by October 11 and declared the 'flaming torch' as the symbol of candidates of the Thackeray faction in the current by-election and till the final order is passed in the current dispute.
The poll panel had earlier barred the group led by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and State Chief Minster Eknath Shinde from using the symbol "Bow and Arrow, reserved for Shiv Sena", in the upcoming Andheri East bye-election on Nov 3. Former Maharashtra Minister Aditya Thackeray has said that the name given to their group by the Election Commission for next month's bypoll in the state has Balasaheb Thackeray in it and they will take the 'Mashal' symbol given by the poll panel to every home.
Talking to the media, Aaditya Thackeray lauded the work done by his father Uddhav Thackeray as Chief Minister before he stepped down following a split in Shiv Sena. "The new symbol, new name 'ShivSena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)' - we're extremely proud of Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray. He has worked as a Chief Minister, saving thousands of lives in Maharashtra. We have been a truthful honest govt, working for the people," Aaditya Thackeray said.
"Everyone knows how he has worked. It also has the name of Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray in it. Most importantly, the 'Mashal' (flaming torch) is something we will take with pride to every home," he added. Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena also released a poster with the new symbol and the new party's name.
The tussle for power between the two groups of Shiv Sena, one led by Former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray and the other by the present Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde is growing intense by the day. An initial incident that exhibited the intense tussle was the Dussehra gathering that is a serious tradition in the party.
The Dussehra gathering of 2022 was for the first time when Shiv Sena supporters were compelled to choose one of the two as their leader and show their support to either of the two, publicly. And it seemed a lot of supporters were still loyal to the Uddhav Thackeray faction as Chhatrapati Shivaji Park (venue of Thackeray's Dussehra gathering) was overflowing with people whereas at the MMRDA ground (venue of Shinde's Dussehra gathering) it was seen that many people had left the place midway.
In the recent incident, after the ECI allotted 'Mashal' as the election symbol to the Thackeray faction for the coming bypoll, Shiv Sena supporters flooded social media, with posts supporting the Thackeray faction. However, the picture will be clearer after ECI's allotment of election symbol to the Shinde faction, that is expected to happen anytime now.
Interestingly, it has also come up, that the very first election symbol the party had chosen was also the same 'Mashal'. An old campaigning poster of former member of Shiv Sena, Chhagan Bhujbal, is makingrounds on social media, where Bhujbal is seen campaigning with the symbol of 'Mashal'. Apparently, Former Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Chhagan Bhujbal, was the first to have fought the elections for Shiv Sena with the symbol of 'Mashal' and also win it. Bhujbal, who is today in Sharad Pawar's NCP, had fought the 1985 Assembly elections with the symbol, from Mazgaon area, and had emerged victorious becoming the first MLA of Shiv Sena winning with strong support of voters.
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