Mumbai, February 17: The Election Commission of India's decision to recognise the Eknath Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena was on expected lines, said Congress leader and former chief minister Ashok Chavan on Friday. Chavan told PTI that the poll panel considered the legislative and Parliamentary majority. “It was expected that the poll body would rule in a particular manner to help the ruling party,” he said. Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde-Led Faction Gets Shiv Sena Party Name, Bow and Arrow Symbol.

Uddhav Thackeray should move the appropriate appellate court against the EC's decision as he enjoys wide support at the district and taluka levels, he added. As it ordered the allocation of the Shiv Sena's “bow and arrow” poll symbol to the group led by Shinde, EC allowed the Uddhav Thackeray faction to keep the "flaming torch" symbol allocated to it till the completion of the assembly bypolls in the state. Maharashtra Governor-Designate Ramesh Bais Arrives in Mumbai With Wife Day Before Oath-Taking Ceremony (See Pics).

The Commission said MLAs backing Eknath Shinde got nearly 76 per cent of votes polled in favour of the 55 winning Shiv Sena candidates in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls. The Uddhav Thackeray faction's MLAs got 23.5 per cent of votes polled in favour of the winning Shiv Sena candidates, the three-member Commission said in a unanimous order.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)