The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court seeking an urgent hearing in the ongoing dispute over the party’s official symbol, ahead of the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra.
Symbol Row Revived Before Local Elections
The matter was mentioned before a bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and K Vinod Chandran, which agreed to list the case for hearing on July 14. Counsel for the Thackeray-led faction informed the court that the local body polls in the state were expected to be notified soon, making the resolution of the symbol issue urgent.
Reference To NCP Symbol Dispute
Drawing parallels to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) symbol row, the Shiv Sena (UBT) counsel argued for an interim arrangement, similar to the one previously directed by the Supreme Court in the NCP matter. In that case, the apex court had allowed the Ajit Pawar-led faction to use the “clock” symbol but ordered them to publish disclaimers in newspapers, stating that the dispute over the symbol was still pending in court.
The counsel submitted that a similar solution could be adopted in the Shiv Sena dispute to ensure transparency for voters during the elections.
Previous Mention Recalled
The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction opposed the urgent listing, pointing out that a similar request was made on May 7 before a bench headed by Justice Surya Kant, but was rejected. However, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s counsel countered that the May 7 hearing had acknowledged the party’s right to mention the matter again during partial court working days, which they were now doing.
The Thackeray faction emphasized that the issue involved a “question of peoples’ choice”, stressing that voters deserve clarity regarding the party’s identity and symbol ahead of elections.
Ongoing Legal Battle
The dispute traces back to the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker’s decision in 2023, which recognized the Eknath Shinde-led group as the real Shiv Sena and allotted it the iconic ‘bow and arrow’ symbol. The Thackeray camp has challenged this move in the Supreme Court, arguing it contradicts the Constitution Bench judgment that clarified legislative majority alone does not determine the identity of a political party.
Elections Resume After Long Hiatus
On May 6, the Supreme Court had cleared the way for the state’s long-stalled local body polls—held up for over five years due to a reservation issue—and directed the Maharashtra Election Commission to notify elections within 4 weeks.
Following that order, the Thackeray faction had renewed its plea seeking urgent intervention in the symbol dispute, but was asked by the court to focus on the elections.
With the matter now listed for July 14, the court is expected to take up the plea for interim relief, potentially shaping the electoral landscape in Maharashtra amid an ongoing power struggle within the Shiv Sena.
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