Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Monday expressed optimism that a new symbol could prove to be 'revolutionary' for the party, revitalise and make it even more potent in future. Informally interacting with the media persons outside the court where he was brought for his bail case plea, Raut was asked for his reaction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) freezing the Sena's iconic 'bow and arrow' symbol and its name (Shiv Sena) last week.
"This is not the first time... In the past even Indira Gandhi had gone through a similar situation and the Congress symbol was frozen thrice and the Janata Dal also had been through one such experience," Raut said. On freezing the 'Shiv Sena party name by ECI (October 8), he said that it would make no difference as 'the spirit of the party remains the same, and the people already know who the party belongs to.
"It won't be so easy for the Group of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to get the Shiv Sena name and party symbol before the upcoming Andheri East by-elections... Entire Maharashtra is upset with the Shinde faction..." claimed Raut. The firebrand Sena MP is currently in judicial custody since his arrest on August 1 by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged case pertaining to money laundering and other charges.
Meanwhile, both -- the Thackeray Group and Shinde faction -- submitted three names and three symbols to consider the ECI. The Thackeray side has given a 'Trishul', 'Rising Sun' and 'Flaming Torch' and names 'Shiv Sena - Prabodhan Thackeray', 'Shiv Sena - Balasaheb P. Thackeray' and 'Shiv Sena - Uddhav B. Thackeray'.
The Shinde side is understood to have given symbols like 'Trident', 'Rising Sun' (akin to the Thackeray Group) and 'Mace' (against the Thackeray Group's 'Flaming Torch'), weaving in combinations of the late Balasaheb Thackeray' in its three name options for his faction.
