The Election Commission of India has finally put an end to the tussle over the ‘real’ Shiv Sena after ordering the erstwhile ‘bow and arrow’ symbol and the name ‘Shiv Sena’ for team Eknath Shinde. The rival camp of Uddhav Thackeray has been allotted the name – Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray – and the ‘flaming torch’ symbol.
Here is a short timeline of the Sena vs Sena battle:
20 June 2022: The Maharashtra crisis set in after the defection of close to 50 MLAs from the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance of the Shiv Sena, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party.
23 – 26 June, 2022: Eknath Shinde was declared leader of the Shiv Sena legislature party after he, along with around 40 Sena MLAs, headed to the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states of Gujarat, Assam and even Goa, before claiming the support of BJP to form the government in Maharashtra. Thackeray, on the other hand, was reduced to having the support of a mere 15 MLAs.
Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra assembly – Narahari Zirwal – served a disqualification notice to 16 rebel legislators after Shiv Sena filed a petition.
On June 26, Shinde moved the Supreme Court against the disqualification notice issued and challenged the rejection of the no-confidence vote against the deputy speaker.
30 June 2022: Shinde was sworn in as the chief minister, a day after Thackeray quit the post following the Supreme Court’s refusal to stay Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s direction to the MVA government to take a floor test in the Assembly. BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the deputy CM.
3 July, 2022: First-time legislator Rahul Narvekar of BJP was elected as the Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
4 July, 2022: The new Maharashtra Chief Minister Shinde won the crucial floor test in the state Assembly with 164 votes polled in favour of him, 99 against on the last day of the two-day special session of the House.
October 2022: The Election Commission issued an interim order freezing the ‘bow and arrow’ election symbol of the Shiv Sena for the November 3 Andheri (East) Assembly bypoll. EC allotted the flaming torch (mashal) and the name ‘Shiv Sena — Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’ to the Thackeray faction. Shinde’s faction received the name Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena and two swords-and-shield symbol.
15 December, 2022: The Delhi High Court reserved its order on an appeal by Thackeray on ECI freezing the Shiv Sena name and ‘bow -arrow party symbol. \
17 February, 2023: The Election Commission of India today passed an order granting the name ‘Shiv Sena’ and the party’s bow and arrow symbol to Shinde’s faction. However, team Thackeray asserted that the EC’s order will be challenged in the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the SC is yet to give its decision on a request by the Thackeray group to disqualify 16 Sena MLAs, who revolted against him in 2022.
