EC order on Sena name and symbol doesn't mean Thackeray faction weak: NCP

The Nationalist Congress Party on Sunday said the Election Commissions order on the use of the Shiv Sena party name and election symbol in an upcoming Assembly bypoll was surprising but it did not mean the Uddhav Thackerayled group was weak or demoralisedThe Election Commission on Saturday barred the Shiv Sena factions led by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and current Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde from using the party name and its election symbol in the Andheri East Assembly bypollIn an interim order over the claims by the rival factions for control of the organisation the commission asked them to suggest by Monday three different name choices and also as many free symbols for allocation to their respective groupsThe bypoll to Andheri East Assembly seat in suburban Mumbai scheduled on November 3 has been necessitated due to the death of incumbent Sena MLA Ramesh LatkeThe Congress and the NCP have decided to support Ramesh Latkes wife Rujuta Latke the candidate of the Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena their coalition partner in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi MVAAlso read Aaditya Thackeray slams Shinde camp after EC freezes bow and arrow symbolThe Bharatiya Janata Party BJP an ally of the Shinde faction has decided to field Murji Patel a corporator in the Brihanmumbai Municipal CorporationSpeaking to reporters here NCPs chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said the Election Commission of Indias decision to freeze the Shiv Sena symbol and party name is surprising and painful But it is not the final decision of the CommissionThe Eknath Shindeled Sena camp is not even contesting the byelection still the use of the party name and symbol was restricted The freezing of the symbol does not mean the Thackerayled Sena workers have become weak or are demoralised The Shiv Sena Thackeray faction along with the NCP and Congress will give a tough fight to the BJP he saidThis election will be a oneonone contest as the BJP has fielded its candidate against the Uddhav Thackeray camps nominee he saidThe Thackerayled Shiv Sena had on Saturday termed the ECs order as injustice while the group headed by CM Shinde said the order was appropriateThe ECs interim order came on the Shinde factions request seeking it be allocated the symbol as the Andheri East assembly bypoll is approachingThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever