Both Shiv Sena factions eye Shivaji Park for annual Dussehra rally

The two warring Shiv Sena factions have trained guns at each other and engaged in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation seeking the historic Shivaji Park at Dadar in Mumbai as the venue for the annual Dussehra rally.

The annual mega rally on Vijaya Dashami would be a sort of acid test for both - the "original Shiv Sena" and the "real Shiv Sena".

Both the factions - are headed by Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

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While Rajya Sabha member Anil Desai, who is a close aide of Thackeray, applied for permission, veteran MLA Sada Sarvankar moved an application for permission.

Incidentally, before the split in the saffron party, it was Sarvankar, who is from Dadar, who had been seeking permission.

The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has not yet taken a call on the two applications.

To a question about it, Shinde refused a direct answer and said, "Still there is now….we celebrated the Ganesh Chaturthi, then there would be Anant Chaturdashi…after this there would be Navratri and then Dussehra would come… lets wait for some time."

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On the other hand, Shiv Sena leader and former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar said the rebels seem to be suffering from "Ghajini syndrome". "It is the Shiv Sena which has been holding the annual rallies at Shivaji Park," she said and accused the Shinde camp of fuelling a law and order situation.

Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, a firebrand leader, and orator-par-excellence started the tradition of addressing annual Dussehra rallies at Shivaji Park in 1966 months after the party was founded on June 19, 1966. Balasaheb had addressed the first Dussehra rally in 1966 and since then it has been an unbroken tradition – except for two occasions – in 2006 when because of heavy rains it was not possible and in 2009 because of Vidhan Sabha polls.

A day after Balasaheb died on November 17, 2012, his last rites were performed at Shivaji Park. The Shiv Sena Bhavan, the headquarters of Shiv Sena is also located near Shivaji Park.

In 2020 and 2021, because of the Covid-19 pandemic-triggered lockdown and restrictions, the rally was held virtually or indoors, but now Thackeray has asked the party to prepare for the Dussehra rally. In 2020, Uddhav addressed the rally virtually while in 2021, it was held at the Shanmukhananda Hall at King’s Circle.