The faction headed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took control of the Shiv Sena’s party office in Vidhan Bhavan on Monday. On Saturday, the Election Commission (EC) recognised the Shinde faction as the legitimate Shiv Sena and handed over the Shiv Sena name and election symbol of the “bow and arrow.” Hence, the faction demanded earlier in the day that the party office be turned over to them.
The Shinde group’s chief whip, MLA Bharat Gogawale, was scheduled to meet Rahul Narwekar, Speaker in the state Assembly, and demand that the Shinde faction be awarded the Sena’s seat in the legislature because they were now the true Shiv Sena.
Gogawale did not specify whether he or any other Shinde faction leader had presented Narwekar with a formal request regarding the transfer of the Sena’s legislative party office.
“The EC has given its decision and based on that we are taking control over the Shiv Sena’s party office. We have been given the party’s name and symbol officially by the EC. As per the rules, we will be taking over the legislature party office and other officiating seats as well,” Gogawale said.
When the state legislature is in session, legislators can utilise the offices that are allocated to all recognised state and national parties to conduct party business. The state legislature’s budget session will begin on February 27. At present, the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction has 16 MLAs, compared to the Shinde faction’s 40.
The civic chief sealed all political party offices at BMC headquarters in December of last year after a dispute between two Shiv Sena factions over control of the party office.
Political parties with elected corporators are given office space by the BMC. The election for the next term has not yet been announced, and the term of the corporators expired in March.
Political parties had been permitted to use the office by the BMC (allocated earlier). But, the clash on Wednesday between two Shiv Sena factions pushed the BMC to reconsider its decision.
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