Mumbai: Uddhav Thackeray faction leaders protest outside Matoshree after EC decision; visuals surface

Mumbai: Uddhav Thackeray faction leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, Manisha Kayande and others arrived at Matoshree in Bandra East of Mumbai on Saturday. All the leaders along with their supporters have staged a massive protest against Eknath Shinde and the government.

Slogans against Eknath Shinde were being raised during the protest by the mob.

EC's shocking blow to Uddhav Thackeray on Friday

Election Commission yesterday ordered that the party name “Shiv Sena” and the party symbol “Bow and Arrow” will be retained by the Eknath Shinde faction.

The Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray suffered a body blow on Friday when the Election Commission of India (ECI) recognised the faction led by chief minister Eknath Shinde as the real Shiv Sena. Shinde supporters burst crackers outside their party office opposite Mantralaya.

The ECI, in its 78-page order, also alloted the symbol "Bow & Arrow" to Shinde's faction. The Sena, founded by the late Bal Thackeray 1966, had consistently fought elections on the "Bow & Arrow" symbol all these decades and its allotment to Shinde is a major setback to Thackeray.

Uddhav Thackeray reacted to EC decision

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, reacting to the EC's decision awarding Shiv Sena name and symbol to the Eknath Shinde faction, said the PM should announce end of democracy from thr Red Fort. In his Press Conference, Uddhav Thackeray hit out at the Modi government for hatching conspiracy against him and his party.

"The government has been doing this 'dadagiri' for a while. To gain control over judiciary, the law minister and Rajya Sabha chairman have been speaking against it. They now want rights to appoint judges to courts," Thackeray said.

PM should show courage to declare that they, along with the help of all agencies, have ended democracy in country, the Sena (UBT) chief added.