Election Commission doesn't have powers to change party's name: Uddhav Thackeray

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said the Election Commission (EC) can allot an electoral symbol to a party, but it does not have powers to change the name of a party.

Speaking to reporters in Amaravati district during a tour of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, the former state chief minister also said the name 'Shiv Sena' was given by his grandfather (Keshav Thackeray) and he will not let anyone "steal" it.

In February this year, the Election Commission allotted the name ‘Shiv Sena’ and its poll symbol ‘bow and arrow’ to the group led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The EC allowed the Uddhav Thackeray faction to retain the name Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and the ‘flaming torch’ poll symbol, given to it in an interim order last year.

After the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, Uddhav Thackeray broke ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government with the help of the NCP and Congress.

In June last year, Shinde broke ranks with Thackeray and formed government in alliance with the BJP.

Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said, “The Election Commission has no powers to change the name of a party. It can allot an electoral symbol to a party.”

“The name Shiv Sena was given by my grandfather, how can the EC change the name? I will not allow anyone to steal the name of the party,” he said.

To a question on some opposition parties trying to come together to take on the BJP-led central government ahead of the Lok Sabha polls due next year, he said, “I will not call it as the unity of the opposition parties, but we all are patriots and we are doing it for the sake of democracy." It is the unity of the people who love their country, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader added.

Uddhav Thackeray also said that despite the imposition of Emergency (1975-77) in the country, the then government allowed the opposition parties to campaign for the general elections.

“Literary figures like P L Deshpande, Durga Bhagwat also campaigned and the Janata Party's government was formed. I wonder whether that much freedom is left in the country during the present time,” he said.

Notably, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on July 31, Thackeray’s plea against the EC's order allotting the party name 'Shiv Sena' and the 'bow and arrow' symbol to the Eknath Shinde-led group.

In his application, Thackeray had said the matter requires an urgent hearing as the impugned order is completely illegal in view of the recent Constitution bench judgment of the top court pronounced on May 11.

"Further, elections are imminent, and respondent No. 1 (Shinde) is illegally using the party name and symbol," the application seeking urgent listing of the matter said.