Founded by the late Balasaheb Thackeray on June 19, 1966, the Shiv Sena started contesting elections from 1967. However, its iconic ‘bow and arrow’ symbol was allotted to the saffron party only on October 1, 1989, by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
With the ECI now freezing the symbol, the clamour to claim the name, and the bow and arrow, has intensified between the fighting rival Sena factions, each led by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.
However, the Shiv Sena is not a stranger to having to fight with different symbols. Before the bow and arrow was finalized in 1989, the Sena contested several elections with symbols like the coconut tree, railway engine, sword and shield, burning torch, cup and saucer, among others.
“The roaring tiger in saffron flag and bow and arrow are synonymous with Shiv Sena,” a veteran political analyst, who has been observing the Shiv Sena affairs for over four decades, told DH on Sunday.
“Whether it was the public meetings of Balasaheb or Uddhav, or other leaders, the most prominent features are the tiger and the bow and arrow…these two things would surely be missed in the by-elections,” the analyst said, referring to the Andheri East by-elections in Mumbai, which is slated for November 3.
The first ever elections contested by the Shiv Sena were the Thane municipal polls in 1967; the party contested the Mumbai municipal elections in 1968—both were under the “shield and sword” banner.