Shiv Sena Party Symbol: Politics is a strange art that can make impossible things happen. Shiv Sena was the most socially and politically isolated party in the country for a long time. All the Islamo-leftist cabals used to derange it as a far-right extremist regional outfit meant to bash the outsiders in Maharashtra.
But as things are lining up, it is befriending its accusers, giving tilanjali to its once core-ideology of Hindutva. Now, they are finding themselves at ease among the likes of Islamists and Communist parties, which had no love lost with Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray.
A sharp fall in greed
Shiv Sena has betrayed the BJP, its long-term ally. In lieu of the post of Maharashtra CM, it forged an unholy alliance with its ideological rival parties, the Congress and NCP. It was alleged that it betrayed the people’s mandate as well as trampled the ideology of the party, that is, Hindutva, for the greed of power. But it seems on that front as well, it has stooped to a new low. This time, it has allegedly compromised for just a single seat. No, it’s not a joke.
On the 12th of October, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) garnered support from CPI leaders. The CPI members announced their support for former CM Uddhav Thackeray in the upcoming Andheri by-election. It is a major shift in politics, as both have been on the extreme end of the political spectrum.
Also Read: With Jaidev Thackeray joining the Shinde camp, Uddhav’s ‘Shivsena’ has come to an end.
Ironically, Shiv Sena patriarch and founder Balasaheb Thackeray used to refer to Communist Party workers as “red monkeys. Furthermore, workers from both parties had fought bitterly in Maharashtra’s streets.In 1970, Communist leader Krishna Desai was killed in Mumbai, allegedly on account of political fighting. Apart from that, both the parties had fierce competition to pull the mill workers to their side.
It is not that Uddhav Thackeray has done the complete opposite to his father’s legacy. The alliance with Congress and NCP is the epitome of that betrayal to his father’s brand of politics. With all these drastic measures and byfriending long-term ideological rivals, he has stifled his father’s legacy.
Coincidentally or intentionally, earlier in June, the tripod MVA government was crumbling under its own weight. A period of instability was looming over the Uddhav government. At that time, the Shiv Sena backed the support of AIMIM, a staunch critic of Hindutva ideology. The bonhomie with AIMIM and then Uddhav-led Shiv Sena was like that of Jews getting support from Hitler or the Islamic Republic of Iran backing the support of the Jewish State of Israel.
The fate is sealed by ECI.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) recently ended an ugly squabble in Maharashtra over Shiv Sena’s legacy claim. It temporarily froze the traditional ‘bow and arrow’ symbol of the erstwhile Shiv Sena. In its announcement, the ECI allotted new names and symbols to both the political outfits led by Uddhav Thackeray and CM Eknath Shinde.
It allotted the name “Shiv Sena-Uddhav BalaSaheb Thackeray” to the residual group left with former CM Uddhav Thackeray. The camp has been allocated the symbol of the “flaming torch” (mashaal). whereas the Shinde camp was awarded the ‘two swords and a shield’ symbol with the name ‘Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena’ for their political party.
Even the Election Commission knows the real heir of Balasaheb Thackeray.
It is pertinent to note that the symbols allocated to both groups have historical significance with the legacy of the Shiv Sena. The symbol—’two swords and a shield’, awarded to Eknath Shinde camp, draws its inspiration from Prabodhankar Thackeray, father of Balasaheb Thackeray.
The Shiv Sena was launched in 1966, whose initials, like the name, were decided by Balasaheb’s father, Prabodhankar Thackeray. The Shiv Sena fought the 1968 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election with the same symbol.
The Maharashtra CM, Eknath Shinde, also drew their party symbols in parallel with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He called the Shiv Sena the mighty Sena of Veer Shivaji Maharaj.
Contrary to that, the early use of symbols allocated to the Uddhav camp dates back to 1990. In the 1990 assembly polls, Chhagan Bhujbal became the only Shiv Sena MLA who won with the flaming torch symbol.
Also Read: Supreme Court seals Uddhav Thackeray’s fate
In all democratic processes, the majority is always given preference and considered the indirect verdict of the people. By that logic, Eknath Shinde edges past the Uddhav Thackeray camp. Chances are high that whenever ECI revokes its temporary seizure of the “bow and arrow” symbol, the Shinde camp may take the legacy of the erstwhile Shiv Sena and its party symbol.
With the numbers heavily stacked in favour of CM Eknath Shinde and a stronger claim over Balasaheb Thackeray’s political legacy, Uddhav Thackeray appears to have lost everything politically. He has not only lost his government, party, and claim to Hindutva, but he is also trailing the Shinde camp in the battle for party symbol. But with the latest development, it seems that he has given up on Hindutva and is ready to don the robe of Communism.
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