# SC seeks clear criteria to identify ‘real’ political party 2026-08-06T18:40:42+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Supreme Court on Wednesday said rival factions cannot claim a political party’s name and election symbol based only on their strength among legislators. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant said party constitutions, Election Commission guidelines or a statute should set out how a party’s majority is assessed. It made the observations while hearing the Uddhav Thackeray faction’s challenge to the Election Commission’s February 2023 decision recognising the Eknath Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena and awarding it the bow-and-arrow symbol. The court stressed that a political party and its legislative wing are distinct. The Election Commission is also deciding a dispute over the real Trinamool Congress. The Thackeray faction says the Commission ignored the Shiv Sena’s organisational structure and constitution. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com - hindustantimes.com Tags: Eknath Shinde, Election Commission, Political parties, Shiv Sena, Supreme Court Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-seeks-formula-to-identify-political-party-in-faction-fights/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-seeks-formula-to-identify-political-party-in-faction-fights/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.