Eknath Shinde vs Uddhav Thackeray: Show of strength at Mumbai Dussehra rallies as Maharashtra election nears

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and the rival Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) are scheduled to hold Dussehra rallies in Mumbai in a show of strength as the Assembly elections in Maharashtra nears. While the Shiv Sena (UBT) will hold its rally at the historic Shivaji Park in Dadar, Shinde will address his faction at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.

Both venues have been left muddy after Thursday night's heavy rains. However, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut assured that this will not affect the event.

Transport sources said Shinde-led Sena has booked 3,000 private buses to ferry its workers to the venue. Shiv Sena leader and former MP Rahul Shewale said around 2 lakh people are expected to attend the rally at Azad Maidan to hear the chief minister. 

In the lead-up to the rallies, both factions have released teasers. The Shinde-led group’s teaser features a tiger marked with "Sena" being bound to the Congress with a rope, symbolising betrayal. The animation then shows Chief Minister Shinde cutting the rope with an arrow, symbolizing his emergence. When will Maharashtra assembly elections be held? CEC Rajiv Kumar says…

In its teaser, the Shiv Sena (UBT) talks about saving Maharashtra’s pride and burying “traitors”, a reference to MLAs who rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray, leading to the collapse of his government in Maharashtra. At the rally, Uddhav Thackeray, who blames the BJP for splitting his party, is also expected to launch attacks on its former ally.

A senior Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) official said, unlike in the past, the Shinde faction has requested buses from the state transporter's fleet but no payment had been done till late afternoon.

Ahead of the Maharashtra elections next month, the rallies are expected to boost the morale of the workers from both the sides. The term of the current assembly ends on November 26.

The Dusherra rally holds an important place for the undivided Sena as, since the 1960s, it was addressed by the party's founder Bal Thackeray from Shivaji Park. After the split in the Shiv Sena in June 2022, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party continued to hold rallies at Shivaji Park. The Shinde-led Sena first held its rally at the MMRDA ground in Bandra Kurla Complex. Since the last two years, the Shinde group has been holding rallies at Azad Maidan.

(With agency inputs)