CM’s IVR use deceitful, says Sena (UBT)

MUMBAI: The quest for numbers to project a show of strength by the two Sena factions just became fascinating, with the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) alleging that chief minister Eknath Shinde was trying to gain the support of its partymen stealthily by using an IVR-based system.

The two factions are preparing for a decisive showdown in the Election Commission of India (ECI), where they will assert their competing claims over the mantle of the original party and consequently, its name and the ‘bow-and-arrow’ symbol.

So far, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has submitted 11 lakh primary membership forms and 2.62 lakh affidavits of allegiance by office bearers to the ECI.

The party has now claimed that Shinde is using a pre-recorded IVR-based system in his voice to claim numbers from Shiv Sena (UBT) for his breakaway Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena. A report in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’ on Friday, underscored that Shinde can be heard saying that he has taken a firm step to develop Maharashtra

as envisaged by Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray, asking people to press 1.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) has claimed that doing so will imply support for Shinde. The party also pointed out how a similar technology was used by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to enroll members. Charging that this amounted to “cheating,” it has asked its workers to be alert.

However, the Shinde camp’s spokesperson and former legislator Kiran Pawaskar said that the party had launched a membership drive in offline and online mode.

“This is part of the online system,” he said, adding that their membership now ran into “lakhs.” Pawaskar denied that the party was trying to gain support of Shiv Sena (UBT) members by subterfuge.

In July, the faction led by Shinde initiated proceedings under the Election Symbols (Reservations and Allotment) Order, 1968, seeking recognition from the ECI as the ‘real’ Shiv Sena.

It also claimed the right to use the party’s ‘bow-and-arrow’ symbol. The Supreme Court (SC) refused to stay the ECI from deciding who represents the “real” Shiv Sena.