Shiv Sena withdraws application to hold Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park this year

“The Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray spoke vociferously on Hindutva from Shivaji Park and talked about defeating Congress. Now, the same Congress will be praised, and such a Dushera Melava cannot belong to Shiv Sena,” chief minister Eknath Shinde posted on ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter). “I would have had a meeting in Shivaji Park if I had decided. But I didn’t want to spoil the law and order situation in the state”

Mumbai: Ruling out of any conflict on an auspicious occasion, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday opted to withdraw its application submitted to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to hold the annual rally on Dussehra at Shivaji Park and decided to choose Azad Maidan or Cross Maidan for the same.

Mumbai, India - October 05, 2022: Crowded Shivaji Park ground during Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's Dusshera Rally, at Shivaji Park, Dadar, in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, October 05, 2022. (Photo by Pratik Chorge/Hindustan Times) (HT PHOTO)

Last year, both parties locked horns to conduct the Dussehra rally at the iconic park, and the Shiv Sena (UBT) had to approach the Bombay high court to clear its path to use Shivaji Park for the occasion.

“The Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray spoke vociferously on Hindutva from Shivaji Park and talked about defeating Congress. Now, the same Congress will be praised, and such a Dushera Melava cannot belong to Shiv Sena,” chief minister Eknath Shinde posted on ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter). “I would have had a meeting in Shivaji Park if I had decided. But I didn’t want to spoil the law and order situation in the state.”

Reacting to Shiv Sena’s decision, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said it has been a tradition for their party to have the Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park for the last 56 to 57 years.

This year, the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena applied for Shivaji Park on August 1, much before the Shiv Sena applied on August 7.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, “We have had a long tradition of having a Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park. Last year, the Shinde group did not give us Shivaji Park, and the court gave us justice. The Election Commission may have recognised the Shinde group as the official Sena and gave them the symbol, but the public of Maharashtra recognises us as the real Shiv Sena.”