"Lakhs" vs "Nil": Uddhav Thackeray's Numbers To Poll Panel In Shiv Sena Fight
NDTV
Uddhav Thackeray acknowledges that most of Sena MLAs aren't with him, but lists Eknath Shinde's numbers as 'Nil' in Election Commission submission
Four months after Eknath Shinde took away the Shiv Sena numbers in the Maharashtra assembly to replace him as Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray today submitted his own dataset to the Election Commission.
Trying to hold on to the party his father, Bal Thackeray, founded five decades ago, he acknowledged that most of the party's legislators are not with him, but listed Eknath Shinde's numbers as 'Nil'. His argument: The rebel legislators should not be counted because disqualification pleas are pending against them.
The commission had asked for a response from Uddhav Thackeray, who is technically the party chief, after the Shinde camp claimed the party and its bow-and-arrow symbol. He responded that since Eknath Shinde and his supporters had left the party on their own, they could not claim the symbol ahead of an assembly bypoll scheduled for November 3.
On the datasheet, Uddhav Thackeray says he has 14 of the 54 Sena MLAs, all 12 members of the Legislative Council (Upper House), seven of the 19 Lok Sabha MPs, and all three Rajya Sabha members. “Members who allege to support the petitioner have incurred disqualification and the disqualification petitions are pending,” the submission reads.
