Rs 2,000 crore deal to 'purchase' Shiv Sena name and symbol, alleges Sanjay Raut

Sanjay Raut, leader of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) on Sunday claimed a "deal of Rs 2,000 crore" has taken place so far to "purchase" the Shiv Sena party name and its 'bow and arrow' symbol.

In a tweet, Raut said that "deals and transactions worth Rs 2,000 crore have been done so far to get the election symbol and name". He added that the Rs 2,000 crore deal was a preliminary figure and this was 100 per cent true.

"Soon many things will be revealed.. This had never happened in the history of the country," he mentioned.

He also told reporters that a builder close to the ruling dispensation shared this information with him, news agency PTI reported. The Rajya Sabha member said his claim was backed by proof which he would disclose soon.

However, MLA Sada Sarvankar from the camp led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde dismissed the claim and asked, "Is Sanjay Raut a cashier?"

The Election Commission on Friday recognised the Eknath Shinde-led faction as the real Shiv Sena and ordered allocation of the 'bow and arrow' poll symbol to it.

In a 78-page order on the protracted battle for control of the organisation, the EC allowed the Uddhav Thackeray faction to keep the "flaming torch" poll symbol allocated to it till the completion of the Assembly bypolls in the state.

Raut on Sunday said Rs 2,000 crore is not a small amount to "purchase" the name Shiv Sena. "The EC's decision is a deal," he alleged.

The Shiv Sena broke its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party after the results of the 2019 Assembly polls were declared, claiming the latter had reneged on a promise to share the CM's post with it.

Uddhav Thackeray subsequently teamed up with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress to lead the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), till it fell in June last year after Shinde rebelled.

(With PTI inputs)

Also Read: 'Hinduphobic, sir': After S Jaishankar's sharp remark, Vivek Agnihotri goes after George Soros on Twitter