The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has granted permission to the Shiv Sena faction led by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to hold its annual Dussehra public rally at Shivaji Park ground. This decision came after the Sena faction led by the incumbent Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, withdrew its claim over the venue for their rally.
A senior BMC official stated, “We have permitted Shiv Sena (UBT) to hold its rally with certain terms and conditions.” The Shinde-led Sena is now expected to hold its Dussehra rally at either Azad Maidan or Cross Maidan in South Mumbai. Both factions of the Shiv Sena had staked their claim on Shivaji Park for their annual Dussehra rallies scheduled for October 24, leading to a potential repeat of last year’s confrontation.
However, Eknath Shinde made a surprising announcement, stating that his party would not be claiming Shivaji Park and would consider Azad Maidan or Cross Maidan as alternative venues for their rally.
Sada Sarvankar, a leader of the Shinde-led Sena, mentioned that he was withdrawing the application for the Shivaji Park ground following instructions from Eknath Shinde.
Last year, after the Shiv Sena split into two factions, both groups vied for the venue for their Dussehra rallies. They submitted applications to the BMC seeking permission for the rally, but both applications were rejected. The Bombay High Court eventually granted permission to Sena (UBT) to hold the event at Shivaji Park on October 5, while the Shinde-led Sena conducted their rally at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) ground in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).