Symbol freeze row: Uddhav Thackeray approaches Delhi HC against EC order

New Delhi: Shiv Sena leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has moved the Delhi High Court seeking a stay on the order of the Election Commission to freeze the party's bow and arrow symbol.

Amid the tussle between the two factions of Shiv Sena led by Thackeray and Eknath Shinde, the Election Commission on Saturday froze the party's bow and arrow symbol.

Thackeray approached the high court seeking to allot his candidates the symbol chosen by them for the upcoming bypolls rather than restricting it to three choices that the ECI has given.

In an interim order on Saturday, the poll panel said: "The Commission hereby makes the following Interim Order, to cover the purpose of the current by-elections and to continue till the final determination of the dispute into the matter."

It said that neither of the two groups led by Shinde and other led by Thackeray be permitted to use the name of the party "Shiv Sena" and neither of the two groups shall also be permitted to use the symbol, reserved for "Shiv Sena".

"Both the groups shall be known by such names as they may choose for their respective groups, including, if they so desire, linkage with their parent party 'Shiv Sena'; and both the groups shall also be allotted such different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the Election Commission for the purpose of the current by-elections," the poll panel said.