Samata Party to plead EC for torch symbol

Hours after the Election Commission allotted the bow-and-arrow symbol to the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde, trouble mounted for Uddhav Thackeray with the Samata Party claiming the flaming torch which was last year temporarily allotted to Shiv Sena (UBT).

The Samata Party’s national and state unit tweeted and demanded that the symbol be re-allotted to it.

“The flaming torch belongs to Samata Party, we will petition and seek it,” the Samata Party said.

The Samata Party was formed in 1994 by late firebrand socialist leader George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar, who is now the Bihar Chief Minister. The Samata Party had been derecognised by the ECI in 2004.

Nitish Kumar later founded Janata Dal (United).

After the June 2022 split and ahead of the bye-elections to the Andheri East seat, Shinde has petitioned the ECI for the name symbol, which was vehemently opposed by Thackeray.

Subsequently, it froze the name “Shiv Sena” and “dhanushya bean” election symbol and allotted ‘Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’ as the party name for the Thackeray-group and 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena’ for the Shinde-faction. They were given ‘mashaal’ (flaming torch) and ‘dhal-talwar’ (two swords and shield) symbols, respectively.