Around 8pm on February 19, a group of Shiv Sena workers loyal to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde tried to take control of the party’s central shakha office at Neral, a sleepy town located 85km southeast of Mumbai. Using sickles and hammers, the workers broke into the office controlled by the rival faction led by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
As news spread, workers loyal to Uddhav swarmed into the office premises, stormed the building, and threw out the Shinde loyalists. A day earlier, a similar clash had taken place at Dapoli, a coastal town in Khed assembly constituency in Ratnagiri district. Khed is represented in the assembly by Yogesh Kadam, who supports Shinde.
The clashes happened after the Election Commission recognised the Shinde faction as the official Shiv Sena and allowed it to retain the iconic ‘bow and arrow’ symbol. The Uddhav faction was given the name ‘Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray)’ and the symbol of ‘flaming torch’.
The EC said it had applied three tests to resolve the matter—the test of aims and objects of the Sena constitution, the test of the constitution itself, and the test of majority. It said the results of the first two tests were “inconclusive”, while the third test, when applied only to organisational strength, “was not satisfactory”. But the EC said the third test did give a “clear answer” when applied to the legislative wing of the party. In short, the EC weighed the strength of the factions in the assembly to come out with the verdict. It said 40 of 55 Sena MLAs supported Shinde.
This story is from the March 12, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 12, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Crowning Glory
Kohli had to be Kohli to help India win the final
Are Fish Oil Supplements Good For The Heart?
A new study that assessed the benefits of fish oil supplements has yielded mixed results.
Ah, Class Act!
Grace, power and clarity-Rohit Sharma's qualities make him, to borrow a Mumbai cricket term, the quintessential valli' player
Fear and the fearless pose
#FerozKhanKaPota was trending on X; so, naturally, I thought Fardeen Khan’s son was making his Bollywood debut.
Mumbo jumbo in the Maldives
Political folklorists say, there’s a charmed circle around every powerful person.
Back to battle
While BJP has the edge in the assembly bypolls, the Trinamool hopes to ride the momentum from the Lok Sabha elections and keep the four seats
TWO OF A KIND
As Siddaramaiah and D.K. Shivakumar try to get the better of each other, Karnataka Congress is a divided house
Broom and bust
Beset by legal woes, political setbacks and a leadership vacuum, the AAP faces a credibility crisis
Pants on Fire!
The recent presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was a sorry spectacle that ended with two old men being childish about their golf handicaps.
NO COUNTRY FOR LOVE
Roshan Mathew decided to act in Paradise after a five-hour conversation with its director