Shinde faction gives EC peepal tree, sword, sun as its fresh choices for poll symbol

Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena, on Tuesday submitted its choice of three poll symbols to the Election Commission after its earlier choices were rejected by the poll panel.

Sources said the three symbols submitted by the Shinde group are ‘peepal tree’, sword and Sun.

On Saturday, the EC had barred the Uddhav Thackeray and Shinde factions from using the party name and its ‘bow and arrow’ symbol for the November 3 Andheri East assembly bypoll.

The interim order said the party name and symbol stand frozen till the dispute between the two factions on which is the real Shiv Sena is adjudicated by the EC.

On Monday, the EC had allotted ‘flaming torch’ (mashaal) election symbol to the Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena and recognised it as ‘ShivSena – Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’.

It recognised the Shinde faction as ‘Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena’ (Balasaheb’s Shiv Sena) but rejected ‘trishul’, ‘gada’ (mace) and ‘rising sun’ as its poll symbols. Trishul and gada were rejected as they had religious connotation.

The Thackeray faction too had given trishul and rising sun as its choices.

Rising sun is the symbol of the DMK, a recognised state party. The EC had then asked the Shinde faction to give fresh alternate symbols by Tuesday morning.

Shinde had rebelled against Thackeray’s leadership, claiming the support of 40 of the Shiv Sena’s 55 MLAs and 12 of its 18 members in the Lok Sabha.

Following Thackeray’s resignation as chief minister of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition, Shinde became chief minister with the support of the BJP.