The Shiv Sena (UBT) has rubbished Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar’s claim in his Wednesday verdict that the party did not conduct internal elections in 2018. The party has shared a video of national executive held in 2018 for the purpose of declaring election results, in which Uddhav Thackeray as unanimously elected as Paksh Pramukh or party chief.

What did speaker Narwekar say?

In a blow to the Shiv Sena faction under Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar announced on Wednesday that the opposing faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is recognised as “the real political party.” However, Narwekar rejected all 34 petitions, filed by both factions, seeking the disqualification of 54 MLAs from the rival groups.

Denying party’s 2018 constitution and relying upon the 1999 constitution, Narwekar held that Paksh Pramukh was only a presiding member of the national executive and did not have any right to remove any leader from the party. Thus Shinde’s removal by Thackeray was not accepted.

In his verdict, Narwekar touched upon the issues of internal elections in the party and said no elections were held for the national executive either in 2013 or 2018.

“In view of the evidence and records presented before me, prima facie it indicates that no elections (internal elections of Sena) were held in the year 2013, as well as in the year 2018. Eknath Shinde was validly appointed as leader of Shiv Sena political party,” he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT)’s counter attack with 2018 elections video

Shiv Sena (UBT), however, has called speaker’s claims on internal elections as fake, while sharing a video of national executive in 2018 where election results were announced.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi shared the video on social media site X. While sharing the video, she wrote, “When a sinner escapes punishment after committing a sin, he feels that there is no one to punish him, but God sitting above keeps track of every sin. When the pot is full, God takes account of those sins through some medium or incarnation.”

Several other social media users shared the video of 2018 national executive elections.

Meanwhile, the party also shared picture of Eknath Shinde accepting AB form from Uddhav Thackeray for the 2019 assembly elections, and questioned if he did not consider Thackeray as the Paksh Pramukh, why did he took the form signed by him.

“If the post of party chief was not accepted, then why did he take AB form from him? Don’t delete this tweet now!” the party wrote, sharing an old post by Eknath Shinde.