The Supreme Court on Wednesday scheduled November 12 to begin hearing a plea filed by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) challenging the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker’s decision to allot the party’s iconic ‘bow and arrow’ symbol to the Eknath Shinde faction.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said that the hearing would commence on November 12 and, if necessary, continue on November 13.
Uddhav Faction Seeks Urgent Hearing Before Local Polls
Appearing for the Thackeray faction, senior advocate Kapil Sibal urged the bench to expedite the hearing, pointing out that local body elections are likely to be held in January 2026.
“There is a sense of urgency in the matter,” Sibal said, requesting that the court deliver a final verdict before the polls.
The bench assured that the matter would be taken up for a detailed hearing on the scheduled dates.
Representing the Shinde faction, senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Neeraj Kishan Kaul were also present during the proceedings.
Background
The dispute over the ‘bow and arrow’ symbol has been at the centre of the Shiv Sena split since 2022, when Eknath Shinde led a rebellion that toppled the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
In 2023, the Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar recognized the Shinde-led group as the real Shiv Sena, citing the majority support of MLAs, and accordingly awarded the party symbol to them.
The Uddhav faction, in its plea, argued that the Speaker’s decision was “patently unlawful and perverse”, contending that it rewarded defectors instead of penalising them, contrary to the Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench ruling on disqualification under the Tenth Schedule.
The plea further stated that the Speaker erred in equating the legislative majority with the “real political will” of the Shiv Sena.
Speaker’s Ruling & Political Impact
In January 2024, the Speaker rejected the Uddhav camp’s plea to disqualify 16 MLAs, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, deepening the factional divide. The ruling effectively strengthened Shinde’s position in the ruling alliance comprising the BJP and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Following the elections, the Shinde faction secured seven Lok Sabha seats and 57 Assembly seats, while the BJP won 132 seats and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP bagged 41 seats.
In December 2024, Devendra Fadnavis returned as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister, with Shinde and Ajit Pawar continuing as Deputy Chief Ministers.
The apex court had earlier, on July 14, emphasized the need to end the prolonged uncertainty over the party’s identity and symbol, saying the issue “cannot be allowed to linger.”
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