Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 19 (ANI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday described the Shiv Sena election symbol dispute as a "sub judice" matter and declined to comment on the ongoing Supreme Court hearing, while asserting that the people of Maharashtra had given the government a landslide mandate in 2022.
Speaking on the Supreme Court proceedings in the case challenging the Election Commission's decision recognising the Shinde-led faction as the "real Shiv Sena" and allotting it the party name and "bow-and-arrow" symbol, Shinde said he did not consider it appropriate to comment while the hearing was underway.
"The hearing is currently underway, so I do not consider it appropriate to comment on it. However, Kapil Sibal was raising these very same issues during the hearings held two years ago; the same arguments are being repeated now. I will only state that this matter is sub judice, and therefore, I do not wish to comment on it," Shinde said.
However, he emphasised the importance of the people's mandate in a democracy and pointed to the government's electoral victory following the political developments in Maharashtra in 2022.
"Nevertheless, I must emphasise that in a democracy, the majority holds great significance. The government formed there in 2022 was accepted by the people of Maharashtra. The people of Maharashtra gave their blessings, and the government returned with a landslide mandate," he said.
Shinde further said the scale of the mandate received by the government was unprecedented in Maharashtra's political history.
"People ought to appreciate the fact that a government securing such a substantial majority--this has happened for the first time in the history of Maharashtra," he said.
The remarks come days after the Supreme Court observed that safeguarding constitutional democracy was a "collective responsibility" while hearing the challenge filed by the Uddhav Thackeray faction against the Election Commission's decision in the Shiv Sena symbol dispute.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, was hearing arguments by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who sought a reconsideration of the constitutional framework governing disqualification of legislators and the role of the Election Commission in party-symbol disputes.
During the hearing, the Chief Justice observed that the mechanism for deciding disqualification of legislators may require a relook and suggested that the task could potentially be assigned to an independent tribunal.
Sibal also questioned the Election Commission's reliance on subsequent political developments while determining entitlement to a party symbol under Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order. (ANI)
Maharashtra DCM Eknath Shinde calls Shiv Sena symbol case 'sub judice', says "people gave govt landslide mandate in 2022"
