Aaditya Thackeray Blames Team Shinde As Sena’s Bow-And-Arrow Frozen

Mumbai: Former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray blamed the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena as the Election Commission froze the party name and symbol for now. The poll panel decision means the Sena faction led by Aaditya’s father Uddhav Thackeray — who technically remained party president despite Eknath Shinde replacing him as chief minister four months ago — also cannot use the bow-and-arrow symbol or the party name.

This comes ahead of the November 3 assembly bypoll to Andheri East segment.

In his tweet — he posted it, deleted it, and then posted it again within minutes — Aaditya Thackeray called Eknath Shinde and his supporters “khokhewala”, Marathi slang for “those who got crores of rupees”, an allegation over their mutiny and alliance with the BJP.

His tweet in Marathi said: “Traitors who got crores have done the vile and shameless act of getting the name and symbol of Shiv Sena frozen. People of Maharashtra will not tolerate this. We will fight and win. We are on the side of truth. Truth only wins.”

खोकेवाल्या गद्दारांनी आज शिवसेना नाव आणि चिन्ह गोठवण्याचा नीच आणि निर्लज्ज प्रकार केला आहे. महाराष्ट्राची जनता हे सहन करणार नाही.

लढणार आणि जिंकणारच!

आम्ही सत्याच्या बाजूने!

सत्यमेव जयते! pic.twitter.com/MSBoLR9UT5

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) October 8, 2022

Team Thackeray had told the commission that since Eknath Shinde and his supporting MLAs had “left the party voluntarily”, they could not claim the name and symbol.

The Shinde faction had challenged Team Thackeray’s right over the party that Uddhav Thackeray’s father Bal Thackeray had founded five decades ago.

Eknath Shinde held his own version of it at another ground, also using Bal Thackeray’s portrait as background.