New Delhi: Ahead of the state assembly elections in Maharashtra, the battle for the state is heating up, and it’s not just about political alliances and manifestos. The fight for the Shiv Sena’s very identity is being played out in a struggle over symbols, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) becoming the latest battleground.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena, known as Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), was on Friday allocated a modified “Mashaal” (flaming torch) symbol by the ECI. This follows the ECI’s decision to grant the original “Bow and Arrow” symbol to the Eknath Shinde-led faction, leaving the Thackeray faction scrambling for a new identity.
At the time of the party split, the ECI had given the Mashaal symbol to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena and two swords and shield to the Eknath Shinde-led faction.
This symbolic struggle goes back to the dramatic split in the Shiv Sena in June 2022, when Shinde, along with a majority of the MLAs, rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership. This led to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and the subsequent realignment of political forces in Maharashtra.
The ECI’s allocation of the “Mashaal” symbol is particularly significant because it marks a return to a symbol that the Shiv Sena had used successfully in the past. This symbol, however, had a different connotation earlier, resembling an ice cream cone, which the Thackeray faction found unacceptable.
The Shiv Sena, founded by Bal Thackeray, has a rich history of using various symbols, including the “railway engine”, a pair of “palm trees,” and “swords and shield,” before finally securing the coveted “bow and arrow” symbol in 1989.
With the split, the “bow and arrow” symbol, long associated with the Shiv Sena’s core identity, is now firmly in the hands of the Shinde faction, leaving the Thackeray faction to fight for its political legacy using a modified “Mashaal”.
With candidates running for the 288-member Maharashtra legislative assembly, the polling in Maharashtra will be held in a single phase on November 20. The fate of the candidates will announced on November 23.
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