Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray filed a petition with the Supreme Court challenging the actions of the Election Commission in response to the group's request for recognition as the legitimate Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. The commission's request for documentation from the opposing factions to support their claims regarding the political outfit's election symbol—a bow and arrow—makes the development significant until August 8.
The two sides have reportedly been asked to submit documents, including letters of support from the party's organisational and legislative wings as well as written statements from rival factions, according to sources with the poll panel. Subhash Desai, the General Secretary of the Shiv Sena, has filed a new petition in the case and is asking the Supreme Court to approve adding the election panel as a party.
In a letter to the poll panel, the Thackeray faction urged it to reject the Shinde faction's argument because several petitions were pending before the Supreme Court at the time. Their petition refers to the rival Shinde group's request for the Shiv Sena logo and tag as an act of "desperation" The Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena wrote to the Commission last week asking for allocation of the party's "bow and arrow" election symbol to it, citing the recognition granted to them in the Lok Sabha and the Maharashtra Assembly. Last week, the Thackeray group filed a representation before the EC.
On July 20, the top court stated that the petitions submitted by the Shiv Sena and its rebel MLAs during the current political crisis in Maharashtra raised constitutional issues, including split, party merger, defection, and disqualification, that may call for consideration by a larger bench.
In the meantime, the bench led by Chief Justice NV Ramana had continued to enforce its order from July 11 asking the Assembly Speaker not to move forward with a request for the disqualification of MLAs of the Thackeray faction as requested by the Shinde group on grounds of disobeying the party whip during the trust vote and the election of the speaker. The recent political crisis in Maharashtra, which resulted in the overthrow of the state's Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, is the subject of up to six pending petitions before the bench.
