Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut says EC decision is murder of democracy

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said the Election Commission of India's (EC) decision to recognize the Eknath Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena was a murder of democracy. His party will go to the people, he said.

The poll panel's decision was on the expected lines and he did not have faith in the ECI, Raut added. The ECI earlier on Friday also ordered allocation of the bow and arrow poll symbol to Maharashtra Chief Minister Shinde's group.

In a 78-page order on the protracted battle for control of the organisation, the Commission allowed the Uddhav Thackeray faction to keep the flaming torch poll symbol allocated to it till the completion of the assembly bypolls in the state.

Notably, both factions of Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray) have been fighting for the bow and arrow symbol of the party since Shinde (present Maharashtra Chief Minister) revolted against Thackeray last year.