Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on Friday, stated that it is a “victory of democracy” & “ideologies” after the Election Commission issued an order to allot the party name ‘Shiv Sena’ & party symbol ‘Bow and Arrow’.
Shinde further stated while talking to the media that “It’s the victory of ideologies of Balasaheb and Anand Dighe, of our workers, MPs, MLAs, public representatives and lakhs of Shiv Sainiks. It is a victory of democracy.”
The Chief Minister said while expressing his gratitude towards ECI that “This country runs on the Constitution drafted by Shivsena founder & Indian Politician Babasaheb Ambedkar. We formed our government on the basis of that Constitution. The EC order that came today is on the basis of merit. I express my gratitude to the Election Commission.” Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis later congratulated Eknath Shinde on the party’s symbol retirement and also said that his faction is true “Shiv Sena” which follows the principles of Balasaheb Thackrey.
Particularly, there has been a conflict between both the Shiv Sena factions (Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray) for the party’s bow & arrow symbols. Where last year Shinde revolted against Thackeray.
Later, the commission observed that the current party constitution of the Shiv Sena Party is undemocratic. It’s been challenged to appoint people undemocratically from a coterie as office bearers without any elections.
ECI advised all the political parties to reflect principles and reflect the democratic ethos of inner democracy and regularly disclose their respective aspects of websites in the functioning of their inner parties such as holding elections, organizational details, list of office bearers & the constitution copy in a landmark decision with far-reaching implications on political parties and their conduct.
The ECI further stated that “The constitution of political parties ought to provide for free, fair and transparent elections to the posts of office bearers and a further free and fair procedure for the resolution of internal disputes. These procedures ought to be difficult to amend and should be amendable only after ensuring larger support of the organizational members for the same. The Constitution of SS amended in 2018 is not given to ECI. Amendments had undone the act of introducing democratic norms in the Party Constitution of 1999, brought by the Late Balasaheb Thackeray at the insistence of the Commission.”
Moreover, the ECI observed that undemocratic norms of the original Constitution of Shiv Sena, which the Commission didn’t accept in 1999 had been brought back in a surreptitious manner further making the party akin to a fiefdom.
