Real Shiv Sena decision: UBT faction slams speaker's ruling as biased, vows Supreme Court battle for justice

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The Shiv Sena (UBT) has accused Maharashtra assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar of exhibiting a bias toward Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during his ruling (real Shiv Sena decision) on the disqualification petitions filed by conflicting Sena factions.

An editorial in 'Saamana', the mouthpiece of Shiv Sena (UBT), stated that the people of the state would not forgive those responsible for the outcome in the real Shiv Sena decision, targeting both Narwekar and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an ally of the rival Shiv Sena led by Shinde.

Narwekar Wednesday held that the Shiv Sena faction led by Shinde -- who rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray in 2022 and split the party -- was the "real political party" when the two rival groups emerged, and rejected the disqualification petitions filed by both the camps.

Speaking at a news conference in Mumbai, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said the decision was on the expected lines and there was "match-fixing".

"There is anger among the people. The Supreme Court had given him the responsibility of doing justice, but Narwekar acted like Shinde's lawyer. It was advocate Narwekar pleading for Shinde's group," he said. Narwekar, notably, is a lawyer by training.

Raut further said that the Speaker erred in refusing to accept the 2018 constitution of the party as it had been placed before the Supreme Court.

"The Speaker acted as a BJP worker and not as a tribunal," he said, adding that the Sena (UBT) would approach the Supreme Court against the ruling.

The editorial in 'Saamana' stated that the Constitution "has been trampled upon by recognising a gang of thieves (as real Shiv Sena)."

The speaker's order was pre-decided and there was nothing shocking about it, it claimed.

Also read: Real Shiv Sena decision: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde slams Uddhav Thackeray after speaker rules in his faction's favour

"The lengthy decision was written by his (Narwekar's) bosses in Delhi," the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece said, adding that the decision to hand over Bal Thackeray's Shiv Sena to "traitors" amounted to "dishonesty with Maharashtra."

Narwekar had a chance to script history but his ruling "blackened" the face of democracy, the editorial said.

Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab said the Speaker trampled on the Supreme Court's order, and the court will take due notice of it.

"Once we get a certified copy, we will sit with our lawyers and prepare the petition and approach the Supreme Court. We believe that the court will take this matter very seriously," Parab added. (With inputs from PTI)