Election Commission of India has approved new names for the two factions of Shivsena
The two factions of the Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray and his rival Eknath Shinde, were assigned new names and symbols on Monday for an upcoming by-election. The Election Commission's order stands until it decides on the "real" Shiv Sena question.
Uddhav Thackeray's faction will be the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and its symbol will be the mashaal (flaming torch). Eknath Shinde's group will be called the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (Balasaheb's Shiv Sena).
Team Shinde has laid claim to the Shiv Sena's "bow and arrow" election symbol, but the Election Commission asked it to pick a new option.
Earlier, the gada (mace) and the trishul (trident), proposed by both factions, were rejected. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar is said to have taken a tough stand against symbols with religious connotations.
The poll body on Saturday froze the name and the bow and arrow symbol of the Shiv Sena.
Mr Shinde had written to the Election Commission on Thursday, demanding that the faction led by Mr Thackeray not be allowed to use the symbol in the November 3 by-election in Mumbai's Andheri (East) constituency.
Uddhav Thackeray challenged the freeze in the Delhi High Court, arguing that his faction was not heard before the decision, which, he said, was "against principles of natural justice".
"The freezing of the symbol by the Election Commission is actuated by malice in law. No candidate from the group led by Eknath Shinde is contesting the said election," his petition said.
The Thackeray faction expressed satisfaction over the new names.
"We are happy that the three names that matter to us most - Uddhav ji, Balasaheb and Thackeray - have been retained in the new name," Thackeray loyalist and former Maharashtra minister Bhaskar Jadhav said.
The Shinde camp declared that the Election Commission's choice for their faction was an open acknowledgement of their claims.
"Finally the victory of the strong Hindutva views of Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray. We are the inheritors of Balasaheb's thoughts," tweeted Mr Shinde.
The Sena versus Sena saga started in June when Mr Shinde led 48 MLAs in a BJP-backed coup against then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, bringing down his coalition government. Mr Shinde then formed a new government with the BJP.
Uddhav Thackeray, who appears to have lost a majority of the Sena's elected members to team Shinde, is fighting to keep the name, election symbol and the legacy of the party founded by his father Balasaheb Thackeray.