Thackeray to ECI: Decide on party symbol only after SC ruling

Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday appealed to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to give its decision on his party's 'Bow-and-Arrow' poll symbol only after the Supreme Court verdict on February 14.

Reiterating his complete faith in the law, the former Chief Minister said that "we are fully confident that the 16 MLAs will be disqualified" by the apex court at the next hearing due after a week (Tuesday, February 14).

Accordingly, Thackeray called upon the ECI to give its decision on the party poll symbol -- frozen last year after the party split -- only after the SC case outcome, while speaking to mediapersons here this afternoon, flanked by senior leaders Subhash Desai, Anil Desai and others.

In a direct snub, Thackeray also said that there's "only one Shiv Sena" and he doesn't recognise any other faction -- referring to the one headed by Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS) led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

He described them as 'traitors' who had backstabbed the "real Shiv Sena" to grab power in June 2022 after the rebellion which brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government comprising Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party.

Ridiculing the BSS' claims that they are the real Sena as they had "more elected people" (MLAs & MPs), Thackeray said if this was so, "then tomorrow, anybody with money power, including industrialists can become the Prime Minister or chief minister".

Thackeray rued how these days anyone can become the PM or CM using money power which poses a 'threat to democracy', and urged the SC to deliver its judgement in the Shiv Sena case soon.