CM Eknath Shinde visits BKC ground to take stock of Dussehra rally preparations

Speaking to reporters, Shinde, who visited the BKC grounds with legislator Pratap Sarnaik and other leaders from his faction, said that they would not appeal against the HC’s verdict in the Supreme Court (SC)

As the rival camps in the Shiv Sena gird their loins for forthcoming Dussehra rallies on October 5, chief minister Eknath Shinde visited the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) grounds on Sunday to take stock of preparations.

Mumbai, India - Oct. 2, 2022: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at MMRDA ground, BKC to inspect preparations for Dussehra Mela in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, October 2, 2022. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

While the Bombay High Court (HC) has allowed the Uddhav Thackeray camp to hold its public meeting at the Shivaji Park grounds, the Shinde faction will hold it at the BKC grounds.

Speaking to reporters, Shinde, who visited the BKC grounds with legislator Pratap Sarnaik and other leaders from his faction, said that they would not appeal against the HC’s verdict in the Supreme Court (SC). “We will abide by the decision of the HC… some of our people wanted us to approach the SC, but as the chief minister of the state, it is my responsibility to maintain law and order,” he added.

The Uddhav Thackeray and the Shinde faction were earlier locked in a confrontation over booking Shivaji Park for their rallies on the day that marks the end of Navratri festivities.

“An ideological legacy is more important than the inheritance of landed property,” said the video, while taking a swipe at Uddhav Thackeray, adding that after Thackeray Sr’s demise in 2012, Shiv Sena’s tiger had become “a tiger in the matinee show of a circus.”

The video also makes claims that injustice was carried out against Shiv Sena and Shiv Sainiks in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government under Uddhav Thackeray. Mhaske also charged Uddhav Thackeray with watering down the ideology of Hindutva for the sake of power.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana on Sunday accused Shinde of hobnobbing with the Congress high command in Delhi for an entry into the party when Prithviraj Chavan was the chief minister of the state. However, these talks had fallen through. The newspaper, which has Uddhav as the editor and Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut as the executive editor, alleged that Shinde had allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as he feared action by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).