The party was formed after a split in
Shiv Sena as a result of the
2022 Maharashtra political crisis. The split was caused by
Eknath Shinde, who staged a rebellion in the party, getting support of the majority of the
MLAs of the Sena and later splitting from the group led by
Uddhav Thackeray, forming the Maharashtra government with the
Bharatiya Janata Party, in which Shinde got the post of chief minister whereas the
Bharatiya Janata Party's
Devendra Fadnavis became deputy chief minister. The two factions in the Sena later formed separate political parties, with the secular and progressive group, seeking to move further to the left, led by
Uddhav Thackeray forming Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) whereas the traditional and original Hindu nationalist faction of the Shiv Sena led by
Eknath Shinde formed the
Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena.
ECI decision On 17 February 2023,
Election Commission of India recognised
Eknath Shinde's faction as representing Shiv Sena officially. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader
Uddhav Thackeray has filed an appeal with the
Supreme Court of India. Further, in its decision, the ECI allowed the party to keep its '''' or torch symbol until
state assembly by polls. The election symbol has been modified to resemble more like a torch as it was previously alleged that the originally allotted symbol looked more like an icecream. == Leaders ==