18 September,2026 06:07 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut alleged political pressure behind the Election Commission’s decision in the Shiv Sena symbol dispute. File Pic
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday alleged that the Election Commission's decision to allocate the original âBow and Arrow' symbol to the rival faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde amounted to a "multi-hundred crore scam", news agency IANS reported.
Speaking to reporters, the Rajya Sabha MP also accused the Election Commission of functioning under political pressure and alleged that it had acted in favour of the ruling NDA government at the Centre.
Raut claimed that the Election Commission had functioned like a "domestic servant" of Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the past 10-12 years. He alleged that such political pressure had compromised the constitutional independence of the poll panel.
He further alleged that the poll body had failed to deliver justice to the original Shiv Sena, founded by Balasaheb Thackeray, while deciding the dispute over the party's identity and election symbol.
Raut also referred to the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, arguing that its underlying purpose is to preserve the identity of the original political party. According to him, this principle was ignored in the decision to allocate the âBow and Arrow' symbol to the rival faction.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also criticised serving and former Election Commissioners, alleging that they had surrendered their autonomy to Shah.
Raut said similar tactics aimed at triggering splits and weakening regional political parties were being attempted in other states as well. He cited the ongoing dispute within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal as an example.
His remarks came a day after the Election Commission issued an interim order freezing the official name âTrinamool Congress' and its âJoda Ghash Phool (Twin Flowers in Grass)' symbol.
The order followed competing claims by two factions of the party ahead of the October 6 Assembly bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar.
According to the Election Commission, neither faction will be allowed to use the âTrinamool Congress' name or its official symbol in the upcoming bypolls until a final decision is taken.
Both groups have been directed to submit temporary party names and their preferred free symbols to the poll panel.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction criticised the order as unconstitutional but said it would follow the procedural requirements while pursuing further legal remedies. Representatives of the rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee welcomed the Election Commission's decision.
(With inputs from IANS)
