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- Published: July 8, 2022 19:02
New Delhi: Amid the tug of war over bow & arrow symbol after split in party, the Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray on Friday dared rebel MLAs to face the mid-term polls and asserted that no one can lay claim over it as they are the real ‘inheritors’ of it.
Uddhav Thackeray-led MahaVikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance government was dislodged last month after a big chunk of Sena MLAs rebelled against party supremo.
Addressing a presser, Uddahv declared that Sena is not finished and termed the desertion a ‘temporary setback’. He said that Sena is the party which turned common people into MLAs, MPs and even ministers.
“There is no pressure on us. The ‘bow and arrow’ symbol will remain Shiv Sena’s poll symbol,” he told the party cadre.
Demanding mid-term elections in the state, he dared the rebels to take part in elections and let people decide the fate.
The Sena has plunged into its biggest crisis after the exodus of party MLAs and then the Sena corporators switching over to rebel Eknath Shinde camp. Out of 55 MLAs, at least 40 MLAs are already with Shinde faction and are part of the Sena-BJP government in the state. Thane Municipal corporators have also abandoned Thackeray camp, 66 of 67 Sena representatives have joined Shinde camp. Today, more than a dozen Navi Mumbai corporators also switched loyalties to Shinde camp.
He told the cadre that some people are saying that I was not aware of all this but this is not true. I knew how things were moving. Even an ordinary person in the party was given highest respect.
About speculations of party wilting under pressure, Uddhav said that 15-16 MLAs are still with him and when time comes, people of the state will do justice with the party.
Meanwhile, the Uddhav camp has already moved Supreme Court, challenging the Maharashtra Governor’s decision to invite rebel Shinde camp to form the government.