After receiving a big blow with the Election Commission (EC)’s order regarding its poll symbol, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray demanded that the Election Commission of India, which ruled that the Eknath Shinde-led faction is the real Shiv Sena, should be dissolved.

On February 17, EC decided to allot the ‘bow & arrow’ symbol to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Sena faction. Now, the Uddhav faction has hopes from the top court that will decide its future.

As immediate relief, the faction is looking to get a stay on the order by linking it with the ongoing petition before the top court for disqualifying Shinde and 15 other rebel MLAs.

Besides, a tense environment is likely in parts of Maharashtra, with massive protests expected by supporters of the Uddhav faction. Mumbai, which is a stronghold of the Shiv Sena has 277 Shakhas headed by Shakha Pramukhs who are reportedly being asked to abide by Shinde’s orders now.

This has raised questions around Sena’s Shakhas and the iconic Sena Bhavan. Reports suggest that Shinde has clarified that he will not claim ownership of Shiv Sena Bhawan, the party’s head office in Dadar.

Meanwhile, the Uddhav faction reportedly deleted its Twitter handle and website, after it was stripped of its poll symbol by the EC order.

In its editorial ‘Saamna’, the Uddhav faction took a dig at the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and said it was “dancing till its feet breaks” because of the EC order. “Just like a property deal, EC handed over the Shiv Sena, established and saved by Balasaheb Thackeray, to the hands of others,” it said.

Notably, advocate Abhikalp Pratap Singh on behalf of Eknath Shinde, filed a caveat in the Supreme Court seeking to be heard on a possible appeal to be filed by the Uddhav Thackeray group to challenge the EC ruling.

On Sunday, Thackeray said all political parties need to open their eyes and remain cautious in the wake of EC’s decision of recognising the faction led by Eknath Shinde as the real Shiv Sena.

EC had on Friday recognized the Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and ordered allocation of the ‘bow and arrow’ poll symbol to it, in the process delivering a big blow to Thackeray, whose father Bal Thackeray founded the outfit in 1966.

(With inputs from agencies)