Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena changes Twitter handle, loses blue tick

Uddhav Thackeray. File Pic

After Election Commission's (EC) decision to recognise the faction led by Eknath Shinde as the real Shiv Sena, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) lost verification on Twitter after it changed its handle from @ShivSena to @ShivSenaUBT_.

The party's media handle @ShivsenaComms also lost its verified blue tick and it has been named as @ShivsenaUBTComm. There is no verified handle called @ShivSena on Twitter. The website of Shiv Sena, with the domain name shivsena.in, has also been deleted.

This comes two days after EC on Friday recognised the Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and ordered the allocation of the 'bow and arrow' poll symbol to it, delivering a big blow to the rival camp led by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, whose father Bal Thackeray founded the outfit in 1966.

Also Read: Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena moves SC against EC decision, court tells it to mention matter tomorrow

In a unanimous order on the six-month-old petition filed by Shinde, the three-member Commission said it had relied on the numerical strength of the party in the legislative wing, where the chief minister enjoyed the support of 40 of the 55 MLAs and 13 of the 18 Lok Sabha members.

Shinde broke ranks with Thackeray in June last year and formed the government in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In its order, the Commission said 40 MLAs, supporting the Shinde faction, garnered 36,57,327 votes out of total 47,82,440 votes, which accounts for approximately 76 per cent of votes polled in favour of 55 winning MLAs. This was in contrast with 11,25,113 votes garnered by 15 MLAs whose support is claimed by the Thackeray faction.

Thackeray had on Friday termed the EC's decision as "dangerous for democracy", and said he would challenge it in the Supreme Court, while CM Shinde had described the development as a "victory of truth and people".

(With inputs from PTI)