Amid war with Shinde, Uddhav demands Election Commission's dissolution
Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, February 20
Hours after the Supreme Court (SC) refused an urgent hearing to Uddhav Thackeray faction’s plea against allotment of the party’s original name and symbol to the Eknath Shinde-led grouping, the former Maharashtra Chief Minister directed his ire at the Election Commission (EC) demanding its dissolution.
“The Election Commission should be dissolved. It is a nominated body. Elections should be held for the EC also,” Thackeray said after meeting supporters at Shiv Sena Bhavan in Mumbai, minutes after the Shinde camp assembled to hail EC’s Friday decision as “victory of truth.”
Democracy at risk
The EC order is wrong. Never before in history has a contested party symbol been given to one faction in such a dispute. If this can happen to us, it can happen to others. No democracy will be left after 2024. —Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Ex-chief minister
Shinde loyalists took over the Sena office in the state Assembly and were set to do the same at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation premises as well though they clarified that they would not, yet, stake claim to Shiv Sena’s shakhas and Sena Bhavan.
Noting that the SC was his last ray of hope, Uddhav today questioned the EC for “pronouncing a decision even when his petition seeking disqualification of 16 Shinde camp MLAs was pending.”
“The EC order is wrong. Never before in history has a contested party symbol been given to one faction in such a dispute. I received calls from Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar, Nitish Kumar and others. If this can happen to us, it can happen to others. No democracy will be left after 2024,” Thackeray said, seeking to boost the morale of Shiv Sainiks lest they tilt towards Shinde.
Meanwhile, Uddhav-led Sena’s mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ in an editorial today alleged that the “Election Commission had treated the whole issue like a property deal, handing over Shiv Sena, nurtured by Balasaheb Thackeray, to those licking the boots of Delhi.”
‘Saamna’ also echoed Uddhav loyalist Sanjay Raut’s accusations that Rs 2,000 crore had been spent to enable Sena MLAs’ crossover to the Shinde faction, formation of the Shinde-BJP government and ultimately a favourable EC order.
The Marathi journal also attacked Union Home Minister Amit Shah as “the number one enemy of Maharashtra and Marathis.”
The EC move has not only triggered a bitter legacy war in the state, where the BJP had in 2019 poll secured 105 seats, Shiv Sena 56, NCP 54 and Congress 44 out of 288 in the Maharashtra Assembly, it has also pitted Uddhav against Shah like never before.
