20 June,2024 08:43 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Sanjay Raut. File Pic
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said that his party would have alone won 20 to 22 seats in Maharashtra in Lok Sabha elections 2024 had its name and original symbol not been "snatched away" following the 2022 split, reported the PTI.
Sanjay Raut also said that his party will approach the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the July 12 biennial elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Council as MLAs of ruling coalition parties Shiv Sena and the NCP who will vote in the polls face the prospect of disqualification, as per the PTI.
Sanjay Raut dared the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to contest the assembly polls, due in October, on a different name and symbol.
"Everything was snatched away from us. Party's name, symbol, our MLAs and MPs. Still we put up a fight and we got nine MPs elected. If we had the name and (original) symbol of our party, Shiv Sena (UBT), would have won 20-22 Lok Sabha seats," the Rajya Sabha member maintained, according to the PTI.
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Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh.
After the 2022 split in the regional party founded by Bal Thackeray in 1966, the Election Commission allotted the name of original Shiv Sena and 'bow and arrow' symbol to the group led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) contested the just concluded Lok Sabha polls on a new symbol, 'flaming torch', and won nine of the 21 seats it contested in Maharashtra. The Uddhav Thackeray-led outfit is a constituent of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) along with the Congress and the NCP (SP).
On the other hand, the CM Eknath Shinde-led Sena bagged seven seats.
Sanjay Raut referred to certain observations made by the Supreme Court while hearing disqualification pleas related to MLAs of the ruling Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
"In such circumstances when MLAs could be disqualified and the case is being heard in the Supreme Court, it will be unconstitutional for these lawmakers to elect MLCs. They (Sena and NCP MLAs) do not have any right to vote," he emphasized.
"We will mention in the Supreme Court that this (council) election is unconstitutional, illegal and hence must be stayed," Raut said.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has approached the apex court challenging the Maharashtra assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar's decision to not disqualify its rebel MLAs who sided with Shinde.
The NCP suffered a split in July 2023 when its senior leader Ajit Pawar joined the Sena-BJP government along with eight other MLAs. Ajit Pawar is now a deputy chief minister.
On Wednesday, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said no poll should be held for 11 seats of the Legislative Council, where MLAs will be voting, till the Supreme Court rules on disqualification pleas related to some members of the lower house.
(with PTI inputs)
