India News | Shinde-led Sena Didn't Field Its Candidate for Andheri Bypoll as It Didn't Get 'bow-arrow' Symbol: Minister

Mumbai, Oct 16 (PTI) Maharashtra minister and rebel Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant on Sunday said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Sena has not fielded its own candidate for the upcoming Andheri East Assembly bypoll as it didn't get the 'bow and arrow' symbol.

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He made the remarks amid reports that the 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena', the Shinde-led faction, which is in power in the state with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is being sidelined by the latter, which has fielded its own candidate for the November 3 by-election.

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BJP's Murji Patel is in the fray as the joint candidate of the ruling combine - BJP and 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena'. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction has fielded Rutuja Latke, the widow of late MLA Ramesh Latke, whose death necessitated the bypoll.

"Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena did not field its own candidate for the Andheri East bypoll as it did not get the 'bow and arrow' symbol," Samant, who is also the spokesman of the Shinde-led faction, said in a press conference here.

The Industries Minister said his party has extended support to BJP nominee Murji Patel, and expressed confidence that he would win by a huge margin.

Samant also said his party will file an appeal in the Election Commission of India (ECI) requesting it to allot the 'bow and arrow' symbol of the parent party founded by Bal Thackeray. The ECI had recently ruled that the two groups would not be able to use the 'bow and arrow' symbol following the split.

While the Thackery faction has got the 'flaming torch' (mashaal) symbol, the Shinde camp has been allotted the 'two swords and a shield' symbol by the ECI, which has also allotted 'Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray' as the party name for the Thackeray faction, and 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena' as the new nomenclature for the Shinde group.

Samant also rejected speculation that there was unrest among the rebel Sena MLAs.

"There is no unrest, and speculation that the MLAs are unhappy is not true...In fact, 10 to 15 disgruntled NCP legislators are in touch with CM Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis," he claimed.

(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)