Mumbai Police intensifies probe into Shiv Sena fake affidavits; sends teams to 4 districts

In a key development, sources told Republic TV that the Mumbai Police Crime Branch has intensified its investigation into the Shiv Sena fake affidavit case. While the case was initially registered at the Nirmal Nagar Police Station, it was transferred to the Crime Branch. Based on a complaint that the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction has forged affidavits for submission to the Election Commission of India, an FIR was registered against unknown persons under sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 465 (punishment for forgery).

As per sources, the Crime Branch has dispatched teams to 4 districts- Palghar, Kolhapur, Nashik and Ahmednagar. Earlier, former Thane Mayor and Eknath Shinde group leader Naresh Mhaske asserted that the police seized 4682 fake affidavits allegedly created by the Thackeray camp in their desperation to prove its strength before the EC. He also demanded a probe into the affidavits which have already been submitted by the Thackeray faction. 

EC freezes Shiv Sena's symbol

On July 19, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde filed a plea before the EC to declare the group led by him as Shiv Sena and also allot the 'Bow and Arrow' symbol to it. In subsequent communications, his camp submitted the affidavits of 12 out of 19 MPs, 40 out of 55 MLAs, 11 state chiefs, 144 office-bearers and 1,51,483 primary members to show its strength. In wake of the by-election to the Andheri Assembly seat on November 3, it urged the EC to urgently dispose of the plea. However, the Uddhav Thackeray faction accused the Shinde camp of short-circuiting the proceedings in the garb of the bypoll.

It asserted that over 10 lakh affidavits of primary members will be filed before the poll body in at least 4 weeks. But the EC decided to freeze the party name and symbol to ensure that the by-election is free of confusion and contradiction. Subsequently, the poll body allocated new names- Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena for the Thackeray faction and Shinde group respectively. While the Thackeray faction's new election symbol is the 'flaming torch', the Shinde camp bagged the 'two swords and a shield' symbol. These names and symbols will be used till the final determination of the dispute.