Sanjay Raut Criticizes Election Symbol Snatch, Plans Supreme Court Appeal

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday criticized the snatching of his party's name and symbol after a 2022 split. Claiming they would have won 20-22 Lok Sabha seats otherwise, Raut stated plans to approach the Supreme Court seeking a stay on upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council elections due to the potential disqualification of MLAs.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday condemned the confiscation of his party's name and original symbol following the 2022 split, asserting that it cost them significantly in the recent elections. 'Everything was snatched away from us, yet we managed to elect nine MPs. Had we retained our original name and symbol, we would have secured 20-22 Lok Sabha seats,' Raut claimed.

Raut announced plans to take their case to the Supreme Court, seeking a halt to the July 12 biennial elections for the Maharashtra Legislative Council. He pointed out that MPs from the ruling coalition could face disqualification, making their participation in the elections unconstitutional and illegal.

Furthermore, Raut challenged the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to contest the upcoming assembly polls under a new name and symbol. After the 2022 split, the Election Commission had granted Shinde's group the original Shiv Sena name and 'bow and arrow' symbol, leading the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction to contest with the 'flaming torch' symbol.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)