Supreme Court hears Shiv Sena faction's challenge to election symbol allocation

The Supreme Court of India began hearing petitions filed by the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) faction of Shiv Sena, contesting the Election Commission's decision to award the party's "bow and arrow" election symbol to the Eknath Shinde-led faction. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana observed that control of a political party resides with the party organization rather than the legislative wing, and that valid party decisions must prevail even if a majority of legislators disagree. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Uddhav faction, argued that the dispute raises a fundamental question about whether a legislature party can assume control of the political party, contending that recent defections have distorted the democratic process. The hearing follows earlier petitions challenging the Election Commission's February 2023 order that recognized the Shinde faction as the original Shiv Sena.